Book Four: Forsaken, Chapter 5- Came To Be
A lone figure dragged himself down a dark, muddy path. The rain had let up only a bit, but there was still no sun shining and no warmth. Careless to his dampened state, the man did not so much as to even bother wiping the droplets from his spectacles. It did not matter to him. Nothing did.
"You're pretty persistant," he cried out to no one. "How long have you two been following me now? Three days? Four? I figured you would have given up by now." His pace never faultered through his cries. From back behind a rock, a girl's head popped out followed by some hushed agruing to get back down. She did not listen to the other man.
"I don't mean any harm," she called back. "I just want to learn from you." Jack laughed, just once, loud and to the point. She chose to ignore it and caught up with him. "The name's Kid."
"And why do you think I care?" he questioned, never bothering to look at her. "I'm not a baby sitter. I don't have the time to watch over punks." The former Aqua member was thrown off by the comment. Jack did not seem to be much, if any, older than herself, physically, but the world had undoubtably worn him down in his few years. "You want to learn? So what? You can return to your little gang and cause more havoc? I'm not interested in that."
"I didn't say I wanted that," Kid defended against his harsh words.
"You wanna learn?" Jack cast a chilling glare at her with dead eyes. "I'll learn you." She froze, uncertain to what action he was about to take. "Everything you know is a lie. Everything around you is a mask for the truth. Beneath all the pretty colors and cheer is nothing but bloodshed and corruption, a struggle for power over a ravaged world left in tatters, a struggle to the throne to be ruler of a wasteland." Briskly, his eyes returned to the path.
"And," she spoke up, following a long silence, "knowing this is what gave you your power?" Jack cackled most demonically.
"The only thing that knowledge did was drive me insane and send me on an endless plight," he answered coldly. "I've spent my life uncovering the truth, and, after I learned it, I had no choice but to alter that truth. You are faring into dangerous territory, little girl. Are you sure you can handle it?" She nodded, caught from the corner of his eye. He sighed deeply. "Fine, what do I care? Let's begin ruining your life...
"Lust for power is the only thing that keeps the world going. Dominence had to be established from the anarchy that followed the disaster. As is customary with a power vaccuum, the strongest take control, whether by force or dependance. The latter of these, typically, rose to become guardians of a city, protecting it from those of the former nature. While their intentions were good, the greed and hate from those that lusted for control eventually found others. Soon, small groups arose from these alliances. Feeding off the dregs of society, their numbers quickly grew.
"Against their combined effort, the defenders of cities stood no chance on their own, and most villages did not have anyone skilled enough to fend off a moderate threat. Powerless alone, they learned from their enemy and banded together. In return for tribute from the towns, a highly trained combatant would be stationed in them to ward off danger. This figure not only served the town but taught the residents to fight for themselves and had complete control over the village. Despite being its Leader, they were just underlings to a higher power, an Elite brigade of the most skilled who would uphold their foundation, the League. The foolish folk were blind to what was happening around them, only seeing the battle of good vesus evil. They couldn't see that it was only evil bickering with itself.
"They controled everything. They held power over everyone's life. If some were to stand against them, they would be exempt from protection and allowed to suffer. The youths or any others guillible enough in the villages were brainwashed to see the Leader as a savior and worship the ground they walked on. Before anyone could stop it, the Leaders had amassed armies of devoted followers into their service. Their control was further solidified. This was not enough for them, however, they had to ensure their power would not be challenged.
"The League further went on to create a seemingly innocent campaign to entertain those in their control. 'Innocent' doesn't seem like it should involve pitting beloved pets against each other in fierce battle until incapacitated, does it? However, more young minds bought into the program. With it, they were able to establish 'rules of play' which further hindered any chance of their empire being overthrown, setting guidelines to battle and rules to war. More sinister was the underlying meaning of weeding out anyone powerful enough to stand in their way. By offering the prize of championship to any who could reach their mountain palace, they were able to draw the oblivious right into their clutches. From there, if they were dominable, they would be allowed to live. If they were less than persuasive, however, they were never seen again.
"Turning into the thing they sought to destroy in the beginning, heartless tyrrany, the very scum they initially opposed rose to stop them. Rocket was the first to make this stand. The group banded together others in throngs, stringing together to dominate in sheer numbers. They took a stellar rise to power, but, alas, does this problem sounds familiar? Forgetting their cause, they, too, only lusted for more power. A mirror looking at its own reflection. Is that even possible? While Rocket eventually fell, the hearts of men were no less vile, and its place was quickly taken by slinter factions and other rogue conglomerations.
"And in between it all is the smug Silph Corperation. They have secretly been fueling both sides of the war while claiming to be neutral to any cause. In truth, they alone hold more power than any other. They alone have direct access to every registered monster and member. It is their products that the beasts and owners take for granted. They are a dominating monopoly to people's lives, but they are too busy to even notice such. More powerful than their wares, they also cartell knowledge, both present, past, and legendary. They secretly fund expeditions and searches for relics and fossils with the hopes of obtaining their mythical power. They not only explore the realm of science for breakthroughs but also the supernatural. Most frightening of all is that they have succeeded a number of times."
His paranoid rabble completed, Jack shot a glance over to Kid, curious to how she absorbed the information. To his amazement, she wore a grave demeanor, believing every word of it. He also noted the other one, the guy from behind the rock, following at an earshot away, still afraid of the man in gray.
"And how did this," she finally summoned the courage to inquire, "give you your... abilities?"
"I tried to change the way things were," he answered. The response did not feel complete to her, and her eyes begged for more detail. "And then I died." Kid stopped walking, struck by the words of Jack, who continued his steady walk down the road, again, alone.
Pokemon and Pokemon characters are property of Game Freaks, Creatures, and Nintendo. I did not make them nor do I take credit for them. However, most characters and various other things included in this fanatic fiction are of my creation, so hands off!
Last Modified - 10/29/05 | Established 10/29/05
