I ran throughout our fortress, preparing for the incoming attack. I made sure everyone was awake and aware of what to face. They would arrive at dawn, I had to tell everyone, it was his orders. I got my four friends up and alerting others just like how I am. This war has been going on for years, with no sign of stopping. Our leader is growing weary of this fight, which is all the more reason to end this as quickly as possible. To think, that this war all started with some kind of anomaly in space and time, it only draws out my anger even more. I may not speak their language, but they can understand me, and I can understand them somewhat. I am different from everyone else, unlike the others, I have been blessed with the powers from mysterious forces and from beings I do not know. I am strong against everything that stands in my way, but also more vulnerable than everyone as well. I am a key component that cannot be lost. Running across the stone wall, I made my way to others to shake them awake and alert them. Those who were unable to fight had to be put deeper within our stronghold, protected by our other walls. This place has held for over three hundred years, I am not about to let it fall today. Not while our leader is here. I was running to report to my friends that I had aroused everyone, when I heard the blare of our trumpet go off. I ran up to the top of the wall, looking over the field. They were already there. Standing there, ready to charge. There had to be at least five hundred-thousand of them! I ran from the wall, making my way to the armory as quickly as I could, dodging and weaving through others who were either heading out into the field, or heading deeper into the wall for protection. Reaching the armory, I grabbed my armor and started strapping it onto myself. I grabbed my personal weapon of choice for this battle, no one was going to set foot inside this place and leave alive. A scythe, given to me personally and enhanced by our great leader to drain the life of anyone who would be foolish enough to stand in my way. My scythe gave me strength whenever I wielded it. I would use this strength to hold this spot this day. Just as I was about to head out into the field, one of my comrades burst through the door.
"Sir, our leader urgently requests that you meet with him at his room in the palace, right away!" He shouted out over the running of the other men to the field.
"I'm on it." I replied. He cleared the way and I dashed towards the palace, the gates opening up when they saw me heading towards them. I ran as fast as I could. If our leader needed me at the palace during a battle, it would be urgent. Climbing the steps, I got to the top of the palace and the guards let me through recognizing who I was. "Where is our leader?" I said to one of the servants.
"He's down the corridor down there on the last door to your left." The servant replied pointing the way. I made my way down the corridor as quickly as possible, getting to the door and slamming it open.
"My lord, you sent for me?" I said stepping in. He raised his wing, which looked like a giant red and black arm, signaling me to keep my voice down. The room was black, except for one candle which emitted in the darkness like a beacon. Even then, the room was black with his aura all around the room.
"Caius, listen closely." My leader said quietly. Our leader, Yveltal, was the only one who knew my name besides my friends and a few others. If he called me by my real name, it was indeed urgent. He was also one of the only ones that could speak my language fluently. "The day has come; this fortress will not stand to see another day." Yveltal remarked facing me. I stood in shock. This place had been standing for over three hundred years, how would it fall today? Surely, we had the advantage here.
"How? This is the best stronghold there is! Nothing could break past these walls!" I said defiantly.
"Please, let me finish." Yveltal said raising his wing once more. "Their leader has come personally to see the destruction of this place. With him, they will fight until they all die, none will be willing to be taken as captives. We do not have the strength to keep them back. They will overtake us and conquer this fortress."
"But what about all we have worked for? Will it all be for nothing?!" I asked panicked.
"Don't worry, we have other places supplying our capitol, for now, we need to get as many of the wounded and civilians out of here and to another city." Yveltal said calming me down. "But the task I have for you is different. You will not be fleeing with anyone, neither will you be fighting anyone."
"My lord, I don't understand." I said confusedly.
"I don't expect you to. But I need you to do something that will change the scales on this war once and for all. I was hoping to have you better prepared for this, but considering current events, things have changed, whether we want them to or not." He called me over next to his desk. I approached slowly to find a book open on the desk with a sealed letter next to it. Being in Yveltal's presence felt like the darkness was choking me, but I had to get used to this being one of his top generals. I brushed the feeling off and looked at the book intently. "This book and this letter are for your eyes, the eyes of the other generals, and for the eyes of our contact only."
"What contact?" I asked curiously. "What is this?"
"It is a history of our people, the tragedies that befall them, and how this war came to be." Yveltal replied. "This letter contains a plea for help, I need you to give both of these to our contact Xerneas."
"Xerneas?! But she hasn't been heard from for over a hundred and fifty years! She's returned?!" I said ecstatically. "This is great, with Xerneas' help, we'll be able to drive them off with ease! We could-"
"Xerneas hasn't returned." Yveltal interrupted. I stared at Yveltal in confusion.
"What do you mean? How else could we have heard anything of her?" I said staring at Yveltal.
"I've known where she could be for a while, I've just been keeping it a secret for everyone's sake." Yveltal replied closing the book. "Before I tell you where you need to go, I need to give you three gifts."
"What's going on?" I asked concerned.
"Please, stand in the middle of the room." Yveltal directed. I turned back to notice some kind of markings on the floor. I wasn't familiar with any of the symbols, but I could recognize that one was Yveltal himself. Another, I could only assume, was Xerneas. I hesitated, but I went into the middle of the room, standing on top of the symbols. "No matter what, you are not to move. If you do, it could kill you. Do you understand?" I nodded my head. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I knew it would only help me out in what I had to do. "Good, now don't move." Before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by a black orb. Panic quickly grasped me, but I planted my feet into the ground. I wasn't going to move, even if a Ryhorn came charging at me. I didn't dare to look around, fearing that something would happen. My eyes caught something coming out of the sides of the orb, I saw three hands quickly grasp out at me. My eyes widened in fright. I couldn't stand to look at what was about to happen. I closed my eyes, waiting for those hands to reach out and tear me limb from limb. It never happened though, instead, I felt something on my head. I opened my eyes and saw that the three hands were actually the wings of Yveltal, but that's all I could see of him. I felt one wing on my head, another on my shoulder, and another on my chest. I could hear something coming from outside the orb. It sounded like a chant of some sort. As the chant continued, I felt like I was given a burden on my shoulders that spread down to my arms, my head felt like it was going to explode, I felt like I was dying. He was trying to kill me! No, no, he wouldn't go and kill his top general right before a battle, I stood my ground and refused to budge. The chant continued, the feeling never went away. But I could feel something inside of me, like a second heartbeat to my own, but it felt so draining that I thought I would die from it. I tilted my head down to see what was going on, but as I did, my nerves began to tense up. Blood started going down my nose. I held back from screaming in pain, nonetheless, I stopped moving after that, fearing I would die if I tried moving again. I could see down enough to see that one of Yveltal's wings was glowing black, the one on my chest. It felt like it was draining me of life. I got that same feeling on my shoulders, then on my head. It was draining me of everything. I felt like I was going to wither away and become nothing more than a pile of bones. Just as I was about to submit, the wings disappeared. I stood there, regaining my energy, unable to even talk. Then, the orb went away. I stood there, unable to think of what just happened. The feeling in my arms didn't go away until a few seconds after the orb disappeared. "I told you not to move." Yveltal said relieved. "I was afraid that you had perished."
"It'll take a lot more than a bloody nose to stop me." I said confidently. On the outside, it may have looked like I was okay, besides the bloody nose of course, but on the inside, I was freaking out. "What did you do to me?" I asked wiping away the blood dripping from my nose.
"I blessed you with my strength." Yveltal replied, "Along with how to understand the tongues of other Pokémon."
"Okay, that's only two, you said you'd give me three." I said recounting what Yveltal said. Yveltal stayed quiet for a second before responding.
"I also shared my life with yours." Yveltal replied.
"Wait you're going to die?! I didn't want that! I don't want to be the one responsible for your death!" I said panicking.
"Relax, I'm not gonna die," Yveltal said calming me down, "I've just put my heart inside with yours. Your lifespan has been shared with mine." That sated one of my concerns, but I still had another.
"But if I die, won't that mean you'd die as well?" I asked still concerned. Yveltal gave a calming smile.
"If you die, you won't die." Yveltal said contradicting himself. I was puzzled. If I die I won't die?
"Wait, that doesn't make sense. What do you mean?" I asked questioningly. Yveltal gave a sigh, then began to explain.
"When I die," Yveltal began, "I don't actually die, I simply become a cocoon once more." My fears went down when I heard this, but then, a thought crossed my mind. What would happen to me if he became a cocoon? That shot my fears back up. "In order to become a cocoon once more however, when I "Die," I release an explosion of energy that absorbs any life that comes into contact within the explosion. That includes plants, trees, herbs, and Pokémon alike."
"Wait so I'm a ticking time bomb?!" I said with alarm. I checked my nose to see if it was bleeding, but the flow had stopped itself.
"In a sense, yes, and when I become a cocoon, you also will become a cocoon, although I can't say if you will be with me or not." Yveltal said turning around and facing the book and letter. "But I don't plan on dying for another thousand years. You just need to be careful with what you do, you no longer endanger yourself by your actions, and you also put me in the same equation." I was flabbergasted.
"Surely there was someone worthier to take this gift. Someone who isn't as weak as me! I take more damage than normal when I get hit!" I protested.
"If I hadn't thought you were worthy, I would've given it to someone else." Yveltal countered. "Plus, you're strong enough by yourself. I trust you more than I trust anyone else. Even if you're not a Pokémon, you're still just as strong as an Aggron without my strength, you're as smart as an Alakazam without my knowledge, and you're as quick as an Accelgor without my speed." I hadn't really thought of myself like that before, but who was I to judge what my leader thought of me. "Please, I need you to gather the rest of the generals, your friends, and report to Hoopa at the north side of the fortress." I didn't know what to think, but I couldn't just abandon my leader in the midst of a battle.
"What about you?" I asked, "What will you do?"
"I will fly back to the capitol and fortify it as much as possible before they can arrive there." Yveltal replied bringing the book and letter on his head. "Take these, and make sure they get to Xerneas. Gather the generals, and get to the north gate, I will see you in due time." I took the book and the letter in my hands, looking at both of them. I put them to my side.
"I'll see you later then." I replied. As I was walking out the door, Yveltal caught me before I could leave.
"One more thing," Yveltal said holding his wing up.
"Yes?" I said turning my head back.
"With my power, you also have access to my signature move, Oblivion Wing." Yveltal said looking at me in the eyes. "Be careful with how you use that power, if you use it too much, it will kill you from the inside, only use it at most three times a day if you have to, once you get used to it, you should be able to use it more. I use it mainly to restore my own life, but seeing as I'll be living for quite a while, I haven't used it in a while." I gulped at what he just said. I envied how Pokémon lived for so long on their own, getting this gift made me feel a little bit better, but I still had a lot of fears and mixed emotions about what was going on.
"I'll make sure I use it sparingly." I said looking Yveltal in the eyes. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, then we embraced each other. After we released, we waved farewell to each other. As I ran out, I swear I could have heard him say something.
"All our lives depend on you." The thought made me shudder. Certainly, I wasn't the last resort. He wouldn't put me in this situation if it was a last resort, right? I ran out of the palace in haste, holding the book and letter like I was a mother holding her infant child. I dashed through and got myself a small satchel, big enough to carry the book and the letter. I started looking and asking around to see if the generals had gone to the rally point in the middle of town. They weren't there! The only other place I could think of was out in the field, but if that was the case, I needed to pull them out as quickly as possible. Just before I started off, I heard a voice from the side.
"There you are!" A voice replied dropping from a roof. Four figures appeared all around, walking up to me.
"You almost gave me a heart attack," I said relieved. "I thought that you all went out into the battlefield."
"We almost did just that." Lilith replied. Now let me explain who each of these generals are. Lilith is a Zoroark, she specializes in disguises and stealth, and some things even I can't do. She's been with our leader for about five years, not as long as the rest, but it's a substantial amount nonetheless. She is very flexible and mobile, even in tight spaces. I've had a hard time trying to keep up with her in some cases. She is different from other Zoroark's because her hair was black and purple instead of black and red. Her eyes were yellow instead of blue, and her body color was slightly darker than the rest.
"We we're almost starting to think that you had gone off into the fight." Sarah said brushing her hair out of her face. Sarah was an Absol that was well known for foretelling the future and avoiding disasters. She has been with the generals for about fifteen years. Sarah was mainly our strategist amongst our army, and she is very clever when it comes to luring the enemy into a false sense of security. Her intellect rivaled my own before I got my blessing, I still don't know if that's the case. Sarah was also different from other Absol's since her face and her horn were red instead of dark blue. Her eyes were also light green instead of red.
"You had me worried sick." Carinthia said breathing a sigh of relief. Carinthia was a Mawile that was best at infiltrating enemy strongholds and defending our own. She has been with the army for twenty years, the longest out of the group. She single handedly captured one of the most fortified cities in the land. She would've been the strongest general of us all, if it hadn't been for the blessing I received from Yveltal just now. She knows the weak points of every building before a spy can report back. Carinthia is gentle when she's off the field, but woe unto the Pokémon that crosses her path when she gets into battle or in training. She was also different, like the others and the rest, from other Mawile's, since she was pink instead of the normal silver color.
"I was about to fly around and look for you myself." Kathrin said landing on the ground. Kathrin is a Flygon that had a rough time getting along with others, those that she did get along with, only used her for benefits, and wouldn't even call her a friend. She has been with the generals for thirteen years. She is our navigator and our aerial combat master. She is the second quickest of the generals, the first being me. She is also a gentle giant, but if you mess with someone she cares about, you better hope she's been having a good day. Kathrin is the third of the fifth generals, including myself, and she is different from other Flygon's because everything else that should be red is blue except for the edges of her wings, the covers over her eyes, and her tail, which are yellow. "What's that inside your satchel?"
"I'll explain later, but I just received orders from our leader." I said facing them all.
"Well let's hear it." Carinthia said waiting impatiently.
"Patience Carinthia, a battle isn't always won by going head first into battle." Kathrin said looking at Carinthia.
"We've been ordered to get ourselves to Hoopa at the north side of the fortress." I said repeating Yveltal's orders. "We are not to fight the enemy."
"What?! We don't get to fight? Why not?!" Carinthia complained.
"Are you disobeying a direct order from lord Yveltal?" Lilith said glaring at Carinthia.
"N-no, it's just that, I wanted to be in the fight." Carinthia said looking at Lilith.
"And the others? What are their orders?" Sarah replied curiously. I thought about this for a minute, then came to a conclusion.
"The others are ordered to hold their ground in the city, but we need to get everyone who is injured or a civilian out of this city and into another." I said sending out orders.
"Is he expecting the city to fall?!" Kathrin said shocked at the answer.
"We have our orders, we need to move out before they can breach the city." I said turning around. "I'll tell you the rest when we get to Hoopa. Come on!" I made a dash off to the north side of the city, the satchel on my side, and my scythe in hand. I heard the others running close behind. More gates flew open as we made our way to the north side of the citadel. After ordering some of the militia we ran into, we continued through the marketplace, getting to the north side of this place. I explained a few things that Yveltal gave me and what the satchel contained. After five minutes of running, we all arrived at our destination. Hoopa waved us over and we stopped in front of an old abandoned building.
"So that explains how you can understand us so well." Sarah said understanding what I said.
"Glad to see you all made it in one piece." Hoopa said relieved.
"Was there any doubt?" Lilith said shrugging her shoulders.
"Not really." Hoopa admitted. "Knowing the Five Generals of Karma, I shouldn't expect any less."
"But what else did Yveltal say?" Kathrin asked wanting more information.
"That's for later, but for now, we need to hurry this up." I said turning my attention to Hoopa.
"Right, I'm going to be opening a portal for all of you to use to get to Celebi under the directions of Yveltal himself." Hoopa said grabbing one of his rings. "I can't take you directly to Celebi, he has a ward over his domain making it almost impossible to get you to his directly." Hoopa threw out a ring. The ring stopped in the air and enlarged, big enough to take us all inside.
"Wait, you mean Celebi the time traveler?" Carinthia asked verifying.
"What other Celebi is there?" Hoopa resolved. "He will take you where you need to go next, hurry, we don't have much time."
"Thank you." I said looking at Hoopa. "You heard him, we need to get in there like we were supposed to be there yesterday, let's get moving!" Carinthia, Lilith, Sarah, and Kathrin all hopped through the ring, disappearing from view. I turned back to Hoopa before I went in. "Take care of Yveltal, make sure he doesn't get himself killed." I said directly.
"I'll see what I can do." Hoopa replied with a grin. As a farewell gift, I tossed a bagel to Hoopa before stepping through. Hoopa grabbed the bagel and started to chow down on it. Hoopa and I had been friends since I could remember. Saying farewell to a friend like that made my heart melt. I stepped through to find the others patiently waiting for me. It felt strange, but it felt like I walked through a mirror. When I walked out of the ring, the ring closed in on itself and vanished. I always wondered how Hoopa could always pull a trick like that. Seeing the portal close already made me feel like I was a million miles away from home.
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Hope you all enjoyed the Prologue to my story. If this story goes well, I'll upload more parts to it. To be honest, I have a lot of it done in advance. But I don't know if it will be successful or not, so I'm holding out on you guys. (Sorry not sorry!) So the way I have this set up, I'll be releasing it in Chapters to help keep it short. (ish)
Please, Vote, Comment (Especially Comment, I'm all ears for suggestions and edits), and share this with others.