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The sky was shadowed in dusk over Hoenn as a Raichu and a Leafeon climbed up and out of a shallow pit in the uppermost peak of a ghostly mountain, the hallowed mountain of spirits where once three spheres of light had shimmered. Sparktail and Thalia worked together as they pulled an muddy orange knapsack from the back of a young man's body, their hearts heavy and solemn. As he and Thalia dragged their trainer's body into his final resting place, Sparktail reflected sadly that they were free of human control- the promise which Giratina had sworn to bring to all Pokemon across the world. And yet, there was no joy, no rejuvenation, no happiness in Slick's death. For Slick had been like a father, brother, and friend to them all.

As the two Pokemon filled in their trainer's grave to cover Slick's body one final time, Sparktail glanced around the battle-scorched summit to each of his teammates with sorrowful green eyes, and then turned his gaze downards in grief. The five Pokemon stood together atop Mt. Pyre, where their trainer Slick had been killed in an attempt to protect the Green Orb from the Exile. Giratina, the embittered and long-imprisoned lord of shadows, had been freed from its ancient exile to the Distortion World. With its heart and mind filled with hate and vengeance against humanity, Giratina had declared war upon all humanity, five months ago.

As for Slick? Slick was once Hoenn's regional Champion and Elite to the National Council, a battle tactician of high esteem amongst his peers. But he had never been arrogant as far as Sparktail knew- Slick had been like any other trainer- collecting badges, training, catching new Pokemon, always striving for success. But Giratina's quest of destruction had brought a swift end to those days, on the fateful night that Hearthome City burned. At once, Slick had returned to Hoenn to rise to his adopted homeland's defense- only for the Exile to slay him in person when Hoenn fell.

We are the last of Slick's legacy, thought Sparktail as the five Pokemon stood gathered around their trainer's grave in silent reverence. Taking a slow deep breath to calm his nerves, he glanced around to the others to each of Slick's old Pokemon: Insyte the Umbreon, Rush the Swampert, Thalia the Leafeon, Ferricia the Skarmory... and himself, Sparktail the Raichu. Before the Exile's war, they had been the team of a rising legend. But now, they were nothing.

When had the world become so dangerous? Once, before the time tunnel had whisked him and Thalia across the millenia, the Raichu could remember a blessed age of light that humans now called the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon era. In the days of his early youth, he had been a young defenseless Pikachu, stripped of humanity and memories. Youthful and uncautious, he had explored the world with Thalia with childlike bravery, apprehending outlaws, rescuing lost travelers, and ascending Temporal Tower to protect it from destruction. The Raichu cringed as he gazed into Thalia's soft chestnut eyes, knowing that those were the eyes of a friend who would never remember those adventures of the past.

At last, the five Pokemon raised their grieving eyes to meet each others' gazes. "I don't know how you are feeling," cawed Ferricia softly. "But I cannot stand idly by while Giratina brings this world to ruin. I will devote every steel feather of mine to stop him." The Skarmory turned around and towards the edge of Mount Pyre, her sharpened eyes staring off into the bloody oceans of the east. Far in the distance lay the smoking and destroyed ruin of a city within a caldera, the death of Sootopolis City. "Look at the desolated ruin that Sootopolis has become," said the Skarmory. "Slick wanted to protect that place, and Giratina has not only sullied it, but he has obliterated it. By water and wind, let us see what has become of our world."

Five minutes later, Sparktail and Thalia found themselves on Skarmory's back as she flew towards the smoking ruin of Sootopolis as Rush raced through the oceans with Insyte on his back. Slick was dead and gone, and with him thousands of Hoenn's men, women, and children... but it just might be possible that some small hope had survived the destruction of Hoenn's last and final stronghold. And so long as there was still hope, they just might survive.

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Thalia gaped in horror from where she sat perched beside Sparktail on Ferricia's back as they approached the mountain of Sootopolis, the once majestic white-stoned caldera which once enclosed a thriving metropolis. Now entire sections of the hollow mountainside had caved in and collapsed upon itself; and what remained of its once pristine walls was marred by scorch marks and numerous cracks in its surfaces, the ocean tinted with ripples of black and red of mingled oil and blood. As Ferricia swooped down into the caldera towards the destroyed city within, chills ran down Sparktail's spine, his eyes transfixed to the ghastly spectacle of toppled buildings and countless human bodies strewn in the waters and the remnants of stone ledges which ringed the massive lake in the center of the mountain city, the waters which had been dyed scarlet with Giratina's terrible slaughter. The Skarmory descended through the air towards a flat plateau on the north shores of the city where broken steel gates no longer sealed the Cave of Origin, its entrance a gaping hole for all to enter. There, Insyte and Rush lay panting on the stone ground in horror where they had dragged themselves ashore, soaked in seawater and human blood as they gazed in disbelief at the horror that Sootopolis had become.

As Ferricia landed beside Insyte and Rush, Sparktail's eyes surveyed the ground beneath the Skarmory's talons in wordless shock, marred by scorch marks and debris. A terrible, bitter horror rose in his throat as he and Thalia dismounted from Ferricia's back, unable to believe the horrors of the battle that had desecrated the city.

"After having lived in safety in Sootopolis for so long, it just seems so impossible that it was destroyed so easily," said Thalia softly, her gaze turned out towards the wandering survivors of the massacre, the population of a major military garrison reduced from several thousand to a few dozen in the wake of the ghastly destruction. "How could things have gone so wrong here?"

"I... I was there at a meeting," rasped Rush as he and Insyte slowly rose to their paws, his deep voice filled with uncertainty as Sparktail glanced up at the Swampert in confusion. "Slick took me to a meeting once, in which he was discussing the weaknesses in Sootopolis City's defenses. They were talking about sealing up the underwater entrance with submarines to prevent any of Giratina's army from entering that way. But then, Wallace, the old gym leader of Sootopolis, he declared that a submarine blockade wouldn't stop a Sharpedo, let alone a Wailord... and then he then said that Giratina almost definitely had a Wailord."

"So what happened then?" asked Ferricia, her fierce eyes narrowing as she craned her neck towards Rush.
"After the meeting, Slick and Wallace stayed behind for some reason," said Rush, his ears twitching. "I think they were making an alternate plan to prevent Giratina from getting into the city, because they kept referring to C4 packs and energy cells... but I don't really know. See, later that day, he went down to the Cave of Origin with Sparktail and Thalia here-" He pointed at the Leafeon and the Raichu. "And then, when he finally came back, I don't think he was in his right mind, you know."

Yes, Sparktail remembered those last few moments. Slick had seen troops marching on Mount Pyre, but had not understood why. It had been Sparktail's gift of human tongues that told Slick about the power contained in the Hoenn Orbs, the crystals that could bind the wills of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. The world had seen the mayhem of the Hoenn Titans' wrath in the Sootopolis weather crisis, seven years ago; as Hoenn's champion, Slick had held the reports of the trainers who tamed Kyogre and Groudon. To prevent Giratina from claiming the Orbs, Slick had rushed off with his Pokemon to retrieve the Orbs himself. But it had been for naught, in the end, for Giratina had claimed the Orbs and killed Slick himself...

And then it hit Sparktail in a bolt of horror, the implications of what he'd done. His green eyes went hollow with horror as the ground quivered beneath his unsteady paws. "No, no, no-" If he hadn't said anything, Slick would be alive! He drew Slick out of Sootopolis City for the Orbs. He caused Slick to be standing out in the open, defenseless against the Exile. He'd caused Slick's death. "This- this is all my fault," breathed Sparktail faintly as the others turned to stare at him, his green eyes wide, his stomach quelching with revulsion. "Oh, god... and Sootopolis too..." If he hadn't said a thing about the Orbs, Slick would have been safe in Sootopolis. Slick would have been able to save the city, he was sure of it. Slick would've been able to prevent Giratina from entering! But now, because of Sparktail- because he was a foolish idiot- Slick was dead, and Sootopolis was in ruins. "I- I shouldn't have said anything to him," breathed Sparktail, sinking to the ground, staring off into the distance. "No... no.. I... oh god, I killed him-"

"Sparktail, you don't know that," said Thalia weakly, padding over to pat the Raichu on the back with a paw as Rush and Ferrcia exchanged helpless glances. "For all we know, Slick wouldn't have done any better than the people he left in charge, and he'd be just as dead as he is right now." She gave the others a desperate glance, then glanced back to her friend. "You were just the messenger, Sparktail- it was just bad luck. All of us thought Slick ought to know, right?"

Gasping for air, the Raichu shook his head, unable to look any of his teammates in the eye now. "But- I had doubts," said Sparktail as he tried to suppress his tears in vain throuch clenched teeth, his yellow cheeks sputtering with sparks. "I thought that maybe I shouldn't say anything. That maybe this was a bad idea to tell him. But... but... but I told him anyway-"

"No, Sparktail, it's my fault," growled Rush, shaking his head, drawing Thalia's, Insyte's, and Ferricia's gazes. Blinking, the Raichu glanced up towards the Swampert, whose golden eyes and features were gaunt and solemn as he began to pace around the group. "I was wondering how Slick's underlings would fare if Giratina attacked before Slick returned. But I just... eh... thought Slick deserved to stretch out his legs. It's my fault, not yours."

"And I thought that we would be there and back quite quickly, before Giratina's soldiers would reach Sootopolis," admitted Ferricia s, lowering her head. "But I didn't fly fast enough to Mount Pyre before the soldiers trapped us, and Giratina was able to attack Sootopolis easily. So it is my failure."

Raising his tear-stained features, Sparktail stared painfully at Rush and Ferricia, gently pushing Thalia's comforting paws away. "You couldn't have flown faster, and you wouldn't have said anything if you told him," said the Raichu, his voice hollow as he looked up at the Skarmory bleakly. "You were going at breakneck speed! I'm the one who told him. It's my fault, all of this-"

"Do not blame yourselves for your trainer's fate, for he was marked for death," spoke four musical voices in unison from behind Sparktail, startling him. Eyes widening, the five Pokemon turned around to face the sound of the speakers' voices, and then gasped in awe. Amidst the scorched earth and the strewn carnage, four luminous Pokemon hovered in midair, their stern eyes unnerving Thalia in their ancient gaze. "Much time has passed since we first sought to see you, friends of Slick."

"I am Mew, the Mystic of Hope," spoke the first, a pink feline creature with a long whiplike tail, blinking her watery-blue eyes as she descended upon the group, with Sparktail's eyes on her every motion. "I soothe the storms of the lost, illuminating the lanturns of confidence in the souls of they who have succumbed to despair."

"I am Celebi, the Spirit of Compassion," said the second, a glowing greenforest sprite with immense eyes and delicate dragonfly wings, flitting in a circle around Thalia as his immensely wide eyes swept across the five Pokemon. "I listen to the music of my fellow beings' hearts, instilling understanding in they who have not yet extended the paw of sympathy."

"I am Jirachi, the Star of Wisdom," said the third, a dimunitive white-bodied creature with rippling gold capelike wings and a triangular golden headdress. Its belly was marked with the outline of a closed eye that seemed to glance accusingly towards Insyte, then darted away. "I see beyond the veils of corruption and vanity, enlightening wayward souls so as to guide them into the light of truth."

"I am Shaymin, the Seed of Prosperity," said the fourth, a canine with snow-white fur and winglike ears like a buck deer's fierce antlers. Wearing a rich scarlet scarf around his neck, locking eyes with Rush momentarily before turning his gaze to the rest of the group. "I identify the talents that reside dormant within, unlocking the potential in the hearts of the people, nourishing their souls unto the tiers of legend."

"Together, we are the Four Virtues, guardians of harmony and light," stated the four beings in unison, their fur glowing white as they stood before the dazed Pokemon. "Under our guidance, the light of civility is strong, and the vicious shadows are held back. Fire, water, earth, sky, time, space, dreams, and death; even these forces cannot claim us."

A whimper came from Rush. Startled, Sparktail glanced up towards the Swampert to see tears forming in the warrior's eyes as they stared upon Shaymin. "I couldn't save Slick," breathed Rush, his shell of calmness faltering away. "He and I were as close as any Pokemon and human could be... and I did not have the strength to save him." His hands tightened to fists as his features twisted into a weeping snarl. "If I could... I would give Giratina the most terrible death possible!"

Shaymin padded between Thalia and Sparktail towards Rush, placing a fluffy-white paw on the Swampert's hip as a jade-green glow emanated from the creature's body. "If you did not have the strength to protect Slick, Rush, then no one could have," said the Shaymin, the eyes of Sparktail, Thalia, Insyte, Ferricia, and the other three virtues firmly trained upon him. "You were as helpless as Slick himself was to stop the wrath of Giratina. It was not your fault in the least, Rushing River, that Slick died. Remember your power always, Rush, and you will avenge Slick in time."

"In the wake of Giratina's wrath, the world has come to a dangerous cusp," murmured Celebi solemnly as Shaymin rejoined the other three virtues,. "Many years ago, we imparted upon Slick our blessings, the gifts of hope, love, truth, and faith- the very gifts that would allow him to become a champion. We believed he would become our hero. But he had woven a web of emotional ties, and ultimately, he was ensnared by his own bonds of trust." At the forest sprite's words, Sparktail flinched horribly.

"Yet make no mistake, for the world is not doomed without him," assured Mew, his eyes aglow. "Those blessings live on each and every last one of you, whom Slick cared so much for. It is the five of you in who our light shines on, and whom have become our chosen. You carry on Slick's legacy, Sparktail and Thalia and Insyte and Rush and Ferricia, that legacy which we helped to build... and you cannot let it die."

Sparktail stared in confusion at the four legendary Pokemon who stood before him, his fur quivering in disbelief. How could he move a single inch to save anything, when Sparktail had torn so much that he loved to pieces? And yet, the Four Virtues' eyes were kind and bright, their words like magic to his ears...

"Friends of Slick, turn back now, if you truly doubt your own abilites," said Jirachi. "Make no mistake- all of you will face terrible trials in the days to come, if you choose to take the path we have illuminated ahead. But if your will is strong, go forth into the Cave of Origin, and face your destiny."

"Wait," called Sparktail desperately, stepping forward, feeling very much lost. "Don't go!" But it was too late for Sparktail's plea; if any of them heard his cry, none showed any sign. As he stared upon Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Shaymin hovering in midair, the four Virtues bowed their heads as their bodies flashed white with power, before vanishing into the darkness.

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"All right guys, we'd better go and see what they were talking about," said Rush, padding forward towards the entrance of the Cave of Origin nearby, the muscles along his arms and legs rippling beneath the surface of his sapphire-blue skin. When none of the others followed after the Swampert, however, he frowned and turned around to stare at his teammates. "What's wrong?" growled Rush, his golden eyes flicking to each of the other four Pokemon. "Let's get going. Dialga's waiting for us."

"I sense... danger in the cave," said Ferricia slowly, shaking her head as Sparktail and Thalia exchanged uneasy glances at the idea of entering the hallowed caverns. The Skarmory stared past Rush's shoulder into the inky blackness of the Cave of Origin's mysterious depths. She let out a sigh as Insyte rolled his eyes, and then gestured towards the cavern's entrance with a wing. "I... you guys go in there. I'm staying outside."

At this, Rush gave a sigh, and trudged into the caverns which lay beneath Sootopolis, closely followed by Insyte. Thalia glanced worriedly to Sparktail, then vanished down the tunnel as well. Swallowing apprehensively, Sparktail felt for his tail, squeezed it tight with one paw, and followed after his teammates into the cavern's entrance.

The cave was illuminated by dim candlelight as Sparktail and the others padded down a long spiraling tunnel in a single-file line, the floor gradually sloping downward with every pawstep. The Raichu didn't dare breathe until he, Thalia, Insyte, and Rush, had reached the final cavern, stepping out onto a wide circular ledge that led all around the walls of the room. The cave was a spacious stone chamber lit by glowing crystals that shone blue and red. The walls steadily inclined down from the dome-like ceiling towards the floor, an immmense-but-shallow pit resting just below the Pokemon.

Exchanging glances, the four followed the stone ledge over to the other side of the room, where a set of steps led down into the pit. Leaving Rush waiting on the steps, Thalia and Insyte descended into the pit, with Sparktail reluctantly following them. A chill ran down the Raichu's spine as he saw the blood, scorch marks, shattered stone, and cracks strewn across the floor. "A battle... there was a fierce battle," whispered Thalia, peering down at the floor carefully. "But... who was fighting whom?"

Suddenly, a glowing red force-field materialized around them, stretching from the walls of the circular floor all the way towards the ceiling, separating them from a horrified Rush. Whirling around, Sparktail gasped as he realized that they were trapped. At once, Insyte let out a low hiss and sprang at the force field, desperately clawing at the crimson energy barrier which stood between him and freedom. On the other side, Rush pounded furiously on the glowing wall, but to no avail.

as a pebble suddenly arose up from the ground and into the air, a crack running halfway down through the mysterious creature. Green and purple tendrils of energy shot out from the pebble, gently revolving to form a rotating, purple disk with a crude green imitation of a face. Thalia was about to fire razor leaves at Spiritomb when a flare erupted from behind her, solidifying into Rex's Dusknoir and Wilsa's Ponyta.

Thalia had not fired a single leaf when Wilsa's Ponyta opened its maw and unleashed a massive wave of all-consuming flame upon the Leafeon, sending Thalia collapsing to the ground with a cold-hearted whinny. "Thalia!" screamed Sparktail in horror, running to Thalia's side as she collapsed to the floor, a terrible shriek wrest from from the Leafeon's throat as the Ponyta's flames engulfed her.

As the trembling Raichu raised his eyes to meet Spiritomb's, a sudden wave of rushing wind and shadow assaulted him, blasting Sparktail back head-over-tail to slam against the rock wall behind him, jarring his senses with immense driving force. With the resounding crack of the Dusknoir's mighty blows against the back of Insyte's head in his ears, the Raichu stumbled to his paws, but was swiftly felled with a brutal shadow ball that smashed him into the foor. Screaming in pain, he lay ground beside Thalia and Insyte, writhing until blackness engulfed his vision.

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Thousands of miles away in the Orre region, atop the majestic structure of glass and steel that was Realgam Tower, a red-haired girl with a blue-and-white canvas jacket and pink boots leaned against the railing at the edge of the tower's legendary colosseum. Beside her was a man with spiky silver hair and a long navy blue coat which reached down to his ankles, a black contraption affixed to his shoulder and around his hand, a chrome red cable wrapped around the man's arm to connect the shoulder plate and the bracer on his wrist which came to a pincer-like tip. Together, Rui and Wes gazed out across the lands in shared melancholy, Wes's Snag Machine wristglove gently clasping the back of Rui's hand. "Somewhere out there, the Pale Tyrant is still there," said Wes, gazing out across the ruined world that they had tried so hard to save from darkness. What good did had they done for their region, in the end, if Giratina's armies brought it to ruin?

"Sootopolis City was destroyed," said Rui suddenly, breaking into Wes' thoughts. The hero glanced at his girlfriend in alarm, and saw a weary look in the young woman's eyes. "From what I've heard... Slick's been killed-"

Before Rui could finish, the tower began to shake and tremble, and the stadium heaved beneath the two trainers' feet. Wes and Rui screamed in horror as the colosseum rocked back and forth through the air, the ground beneath Realgam Tower's base shaking violently. All along the tower's height, people and Pokemon were thrown to the floor in the wake of the great earth tremor as the thick steel cables which sustained the colossal structure began to groan and creak from the immense stress placed upon it. One by one, steel cables and supporting pillars began to warp and bend from the stress, until at last, the entire tower came tumbling down to earth in a horrific collapse of death and destruction.
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Fifteen miles away in Pyrite Town, three trainers were leaning against the wall of a building. Rex, the youngest of the three, wore a red jacket and baseball cap. Wilsa, Rex's older sister, had long black hair and a yellow purse hanging from her shoulder. Eddie, the most experienced of the three trainers, was wearing shorts and a double-pocketed vest- the standard "camping" outfit. Eddie, in the middle of the three, was reading through a newspaper. The terrible destruction of Sootopolis City in Hoenn, and the death of Slick, was printed in bold across the headlines. Rex and Wilsa were peering over Eddie's shoulders, scanning the articles with horror and grief in their hearts. For Slick, Elite of Hoenn and the Champion's own brother, was also Rex's and Wilsa's cousin, as well as a budding friend to Eddie.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the three rookies' feet began to shake and tremble. Rex and Wilsa stared into each other's eyes in bewilderment as Eddie let the newspaper fall from his hands to land on the pyrite-littered turf beneath him. Cries of terror and fear rang out from the ancient fissure which rested between Pyrite and its Colosseum, wails of fear and despair. Eddie looked at Rex and Wilsa fearfully. "Do you feel that?" asked the rookie, his eyes widening. Rex shook his head, but Wilsa nodded.

Just then, there was a furious churning noise beneath the ground, and the tip of a Rhyperior's drill poked out from the ground. Wilsa, Rex, and Eddie slowly backed away from the Rhyperior as it emerged from the ground, the earth bulging up as the soldier of Giratina forced its way up and onto the surface, followed by a Camerupt and a Toxicroak. The Camerupt and the Rhyperior gave off aggressive growls towards the three rookies, while the Toxicroak jumped forward with a deep croak as its red neck pouch swelled. "Croooak!"

At once, Rex's eyes widened in recognition, as did Wilsa's. Brother and sister, they stared together in speechless surprise upon the very Pokemon who had robbed them of their Pokemon, two months ago in Pastoria City. An angry scowl spread across Rex's face, and both he and Wilsa reached for the red-and-white capsules on their belt. Tossing them into the air, the two released their Pokemon from their Poke Balls with a fervent anger. "Go, Blitz!" shouted Wilsa as Rex called, "Ifrit, you're on!" In two massive flares of light, a Jolteon and a Charizard appeared. The ground still trembling beneath their feet, Rex and Wilsa let out battle cries in unison as the three charged upon them.

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Far away to the northeast of Sinnoh lay the Battle Zone. In her vacation home in the Resort Area, Cynthia awoke, the latest update printouts on the Dragonite herd located on her nightstand. She read them carefully. All was well and peaceful. The Magnezones weren't coming any closer, and were leaving them in peace as long as they stayed in the bay. Actually, today was even better. The Magnezones were retreating for some reason. All the high winds had finally dropped as well...

Outside Cynthia's window, a hurricane was forming in the bay. As more clouds joined the hurricane, the hurricane expanded to cover the entire area. Massive rains began to fall, flooding the Resort and Battle Areas. The winds returned, as furious and strong as ever. Islands were washed away. The heavy rains and winds pounded upon the landmass, threatening to wash it away.
A natural hurricane would have simply passed over the area, and eventually would be over. It would come, strike hard, and leave. But this hurricane was the work of the ancient blue leviathan Pokemon lurking beneath the sea, the Column of the Oceans, Kyogre.

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In Kanto, Darkrai, Froslasses, Gengars, and Dusclopses flew close to the ground, unhampered by fatigue and rough terrain. Drifblims flew over them as well, carrying all of Darkrai's army supplies. They flew over the giant drawbridge on Route 18, up Route 17's cycling slope, and onwards to Celadon City. Adrenaline filled his cursed veins as never before, not since the day Temporal Tower was nearly destroyed.

Trainers and gunmen began lining up along the gateway. Rifles were taken out and loaded. Traines sent out their Pokemon. Behind Darkrai, more Drifblims arrived, carrying the fearsome Rhydons and the even-more-feared Rhyperiors. One Drifblim deposited a Nidoking and a Aggron, one on either sie of Darkrai. Alakazams teleported onto the field.

Darkrai bellowed a war cry, and his army charged. Hundreds of Pokemon and humans converged into a chaotic mass of warriors. Gengars with Shadow Claw. Charizards with Fire Blast. A Salamence and a Dragonite, whirling around in the sky, trying to tear each other apart. Exeggutors and Girafarigs, striking out against Darkrai's Alakazams and Tangrowths. Massive waves of bullets. All was chaos, all was death and destruction, just as it had been on the day Temporal Tower burned.

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Cianwood City was in pandemonium. When Giratina's army had first arrived on the Honshu continent, it had simply bypassed and ignored the tiny village hidden away on the far side of the Whirl Islands. And then, Giratina's army had pulled out of Johto completely. But now that the faraway region of Hoenn was subdued, Giratina's fearsome army had swung back around to conquer the Honshu continent... starting with Cianwood.
High above this tiny city was Mewtwo, his body burned as black as night. Rhyperiors were hovering in the sky all around him, held up by Mewtwo's own powerful and limitless reserves of psychic energy. Mewtwo slowly weakened his telekinetic grip on the Rhyperiors, until these fellow minions of Giratina began to descend towards Cianwood slowly.

They landed on the ground, causing massive clouds of dust to fly up where their bulky bodies impacted the earth. People began to scream and panic. Some clutched their children tightly; others were running as far away from the Rhyperiors as they could.
Wooden seaside cabins and stick huts were crushed and destroyed. Rhyperiors were smashing away at everything in their path- houses, people, Pokemon, and anything and everything. Some Rhyperiors opened their giant maws and unleashed massive, sweeping streams of fire; they left death and destruction and fear in their wake.

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Cerulean City lay in shambles as tornadoes ripped through the streets of the tiny village, tearing up buildings and bridges. Rayquaza, Father of all Skies, rampaged through the sky over the azure town, his thick green body lashing out in a furious rage at people and Pokemon alike. Dragonflame erupted from his maw, bathing the city in his rampage. The rivers ran red as Rayquaza unleashed the full might of his outrage upon Cerulean City again and again.
Houses shattered and collapsed. Men, women, children, and Pokemon fled the chaos, shrieking in horror, finding only more terrible death as they ran. Rayquaza flew around in circles, whipping up massive windstorms to devastate the city, roaring of bloodlust and all-consuming wrath.

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"Damn! Everyone, fall back!" yelled Ethan Gold as a Garchomp with blood-red scales and golden claws crashed through the western gates of Ecruteak. Riding on the back of his Meganium, the 19-year-old Johto Champion stood amidst fourty of the finest trainers in the world, assembled in military ranks to meet the Exile's machine of war. Trembling the earth with every thundering footstep, the Crimson Dragon led her legions into roaring battle, her bloody scales seething with bloodlust. As the Garchomp's vicious spiked tail swept the battlefield, her eyes glinted golden to match her fangs and claws. Gazing into Ethan Gold's eyes, she opened her maw to unleash a terrifying roar that shattered the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

We never knew what war was, thought Ethan numbly as he and the other trainers reached for their Poke Balls, casting the capsules high into the air to send out their Pokemon against the fierce-eyed warriors lining up on either side of the Red Dragon. Ranks of cruel-eyed Rhyperiors, Mismagii, Yanmegas, Magmortars, Electivires, and Porygon-Zs gazed hungrily at the trainers and their enemy Pokemon with feral eyes, promising death and destruction to all mankind in their claws. Ethan could sense the panic of his Typhlosion.

"Mortimer, release the ghosts!" yelled Ethan as his Meganium reared up onto its hind legs in the tearth-trembling ruckus. Beside Ethan, Gym Leader Morty nodded, reached a hand into the bulging leather sack on his back, and hurled a fistful of Poke Balls high into the air towards the Crimson Dragon. The capsules flew open as they reached the top of their arc, releasing a crew of Haunters to hover around in protective circles over the trainers' army of Pokemon. From Alakazams to Weaviles, the defenders of Ecruteak and their slew of Pokemon stood defiantly against the Crimson Dragon and her troops as Morty continued to cast handfuls of Haunters into battle.

"I don't think so!" snarled the Crimson Dragon, slashing at the air with both claws as Morty's swarm of ghosts rushed upon her. A mighty golden claw racked her own chest and severed her leather necklace, flinging a small cracked lump of stone into the air to meet the racing wraiths. Smiling cruelly, she and her soldiers leaned back on their haunches to watch as Haunters desperately tried to veer away from the ominous stone suspended in midair. Then, the cracked rock flashed bright with a ripple of energy that set Ethan's hair on end.

Time seemed to slow down as the panicking ghosts were swallowed up into the Odd Keystone one-by-one, desperately trying to claw their way out of the swirling violet-and-green vortex that sucked the shrieking phantoms in the stone's glowing crack. "Someone give props to Darkrai, the dear boy's invention worked after all," cackled the Red Dragon, watching Morty's wailing spirits falling into the rock, leaving behind nothing but a thick cloud of violet fog where the Haunters' gaseous bodies had floated..

With Ethan and the others staring speechlessly towards the spectacle, Morty's eyes widened as he recognized
"Son of a Blissey, that's an Odd Keystone," uttered the Gym Leader as the last of the Haunters was claimed by the stone, which landed on the ground. "A hundred and eight spirits... oh, Arceus, no-" As if in reply, the swirling vortex of violet and green mist emerged from the Odd Keystone, forming the hideous features of a Spiritomb.

Then the Red Dragon descended upon the people of Ecruteak in a violent mass of ripping claws and gnashing fangs, a bloody whirlwind of destruction incarnate that shredded earth from sky and flesh from bone. Roaring as bloodlust and dragonswrath consumed her, the Garchomp lay waste to the rustic village of Ecruteak, until the Bell Tower burned as black as its sister.

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In the pitch-black night, Indigo Plateau was a field of scattered, glittering lights, ringed by a series of stone-gray mountaintops that overshadowed the magnificent human capital. The city was a diamond cut into eight triangular wedgelike districts beneath the new moon, its borders only dimly lit by streetlamps. In the once-proud buildings of Indigo Plateau, hundreds of human refugees lay packed together in their tiny cramped apartments, their lamps extinguished by tar-black fear. The isolated city in the azure peaks had come to a standstill, for all its safety from the Exile, for death and destruction entered on the lips of coming messengers.

At the forefront of the city stood an immense brick-red building of magnificent architecture, between the diamond-shaped city's southern-most tip and the treacherous slopes of Victory Road. It was a modern castle of glass and steel, a sanctuary to the most magnificent battle arena in the world, an immense shrine to the former glory of the Elite Four. Its gates were emblazoned with the Poke Ball of the nation's emblem, its spires towering high above the lands of Johto and Kanto below. Here stood the Headquarters of the National Pokemon League.

Atop his sepia-tiled balcony stood a man of twenty-six, clad in jeans, red sneakers, and a red-and-white short-sleeve jacket with white collar and trim. A yellow knapsack hung from one shoulder as he clenched a fingerless-gloved hand into a fist, a red-and-white baseball cap with a checkmark insignia pulled low over his dark eyes and black hair. Across the facility echoed the steady clicks of patrolling soldiers' boots, their belts brimming with Poke Balls and the rifles on their backs fully loaded. Leaning with both hands on the edge of the balcony, Champion Red's sorrowful gaze traveled across the dying lands, swept up in a wave of chaos from Cianwood in the west to Lavender in the east.

The world's slept for too long, thought Red. The world gave up war, and now that war has returned, it has turned to Pokemon trainers for protection. But Pokemon trainers weren't soldiers. These bloody and painful battles were not the battles he desired. Pokemon trainers dealt in games and competitions, perhaps prestige and honor, but never life and death. This was true war, and war was an ugly thing.

"What's on your mind, Red?" asked a voice from behind him. Without so much as raising an eyebrow, the World Champion smoothly turned around to face the Kanto Champion Chri[s], and the second most powerful trainer in the world. Chris wore a blue-and-gray jacket with jeans and a nondescript blue baseball cap, dark-gray riding gloves and boots beneath his turquoise cape. "Any word from Hoenn at all?" inquired Chris grimly.

Gazing towards the steel-tiled floor, Red crossed his arms and leaned back against the balcony railing without a word. Recollections from the day's events flickered through the master tactician's mind, an endless stream of meaningless reports and unnecessary status updates. Migrating Gastrodons were hardly relevant to human survival, thought Red bitterly. And yet, that was all Cynthia had to offer, up until her moment of death- Gastrodon migration patterns. And then, as for Hoenn... "It's doubtful that Kyogre, Groundon, and Rayquaza would be rampaging if Slick were around to stop them, as he has the reports on the Sootopolis crisis," said Red finally, keeping his voice cool and steady, not daring to look up at Chri[s]. "I'm sorry."

Taking his Charizard's Poke Ball from his belt, he stood up straight and stepped towards the empty half of the balcony. As soon as he pressed the silver button on the red-and-white capsule, the Poke Ball flicked open and released a burst of red-to-infrared light, which erupted into the body of his loyal Charizard. Turning to face Chris at last as the Charizard let out a roar, Red finally met the Kanto Champion eye-to-eye, feeling a sting of guilt as he saw the dimness in the other trainer's eyes. If he didn't return, thought Red as he climbed up onto his rumbling Charizard's back, then Chri[s] would be in charge of mankind- and both of them knew that all too well. Gazing at Chris, he gave his fellow trainer a nod. "..." With that, Red spurred his Charizard up into the air, and flew off into the distance.
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