Shadowfire - A Pokemon Insurgence Story

Chapter 1: Fiery Intent

It seemed Diana had fully escaped Zenith's grasp due to Cresselia's protection. The fateful day he allowed her to leave with it, he was certain he would have her come right back to him; a testament of his unbreakable Mind Optimization ability. 

No dice. With all his arrogance he bolstered, Zenith could never outmatch a Mythical Pokemon. Clearly, the power Nyx bestowed upon him was not foolproof; and this was Zenith's first indication of Nyx's dishonesty, when she promised him that his powers were unbeatable as long as he had a person's DNA.

Then, to add insult to injury, Persephone escaped with Darkrai protecting her mind, making a fool of him thrice. 

The Cult Leader was enraged when he thought of his little failures; a small battle lost is a battle lost regardless, after all. 

Still, there was no time to dawdle and reminisce about the past. He had to know; what did the future entail for himself and his Cult? He already had Heatran and Groudon under his thumb, but that power was not enough, he felt, with Jaern's cult growing in power each day. 

If he himself were the Augur, he would effectively be King of Torren, and none would question his authority ever again. It was easier said than done, of course. Doing such a thing would blow his cover as Zachary; the quirky, fun Librarian of Ultira Town; and he had yet to learn the definitive prophecy of the Cults.

He slammed his fist on his desk. 

How could he obtain the DNA of all the people of the Region without seeming suspicious? How could he be discreet about it? 

Days, then weeks passed, and one fateful day, a boy with purple hair, a girl with green hair, and a boy with white hair entered the Library, and with his aid, found their way into the Forbidden Wing of the Library. 

It was forbidden, of course, because it was where the Prophecy was going to be unveiled. Those words were meant for Zenith's ears only. Until the children came along, of course.

When the group reached the Forbidden Sector of the Library and resisted the Ghosts that roamed within, it was as if fate itself set on its course: an Oracle appeared, claiming to be the Prophet of Arceus and Oracle of Delphox, foretelling of the Prophecy he was trying to learn for what seemed like forever. 

"This Prophecy has been misunderstood many, many times." The Oracle began. "Even the Cult Leaders have never heard the correct version."

After some chat, the Oracle began, giving the abridged form of the Prophecy.

"The first thing that was predicted was the emergence of a hero, chosen by a Legendary Pokemon. Secondly, this hero will succeed. Undefeated in Torren, they'll move on, victorious.The last, secret, piece of information is that the Hero will join the Infernal Cult and betray their friends." 

Zenith remarked how the Oracle reminded him of what Author L. Frank Baum did when introducing a particular character in his Novel, following the departure of the Oracle, only to be silenced by an angry Nora. He kept his cool, as exposing himself now would be disadvantagious to his cause.

A few days then passed, and on the wind, "Zachary" heard tales of an infectious disease on the rise; Pokerus. An old man in Sonata Hills became mutated to the point of resembling a half-baked Deoxys. Then the white-haired boy too, was infected. 

He had a gut feeling that Reukra had something to do with this, and so he went, in disguise, down to the Black Market in Helios City's underground.

He managed to catch Reukra in the middle of his research into Delta Mega Evolution, and sat down with him. He wondered how he could obtain the DNA of people consensually, using Pokerus as an excuse.

"Why not offer a vaccine?" Reukra suggested. "Make people paranoid enough, and they will jump for it without a second thought. People are Mareep." 

"That's an excellent idea." Zenith mused, pushing the chair away from the table and leaving the room.

Reukra's indifferent expression remained, though he muttered to himself. "Well, then. He can try as he might, but his plan's going to fail, and hard. Only one group can be victorious, and it will be us, without any petty power struggles." 

Taen nodded in agreement. "When will they learn?" 

Thus, the Torren Region's fate was sealed, in the eyes of Zenith. Now, the key was to bide his time, and soon enough, the Region would be his, and then...

...the world.