For the past ten years, the Unova region has been cut off from the rest of the world due to the tyranny of the leader Ghetsis. No one outside of Team Plasma is allowed to own Pokemon; the people of Team Plasma are deeply entrenched in a doctrine of absolute loyalty and faith. Technology and business are both controlled by the government. As the Plasma enforcers do not have to give any reason for a search, arrest, or even execution, the ordinary citizens are too afraid to rebel.
But with the assistance of the mysterious person called Tao, seventeen people in Unova are about to receive a chance at divine power: a soul link with one of the legendary Pokemon. This is meant to get rid of the corrupt Ghetsis and Team Plasma, but will the power itself corrupt them and cause more devastation? Only time will tell.
Two fans were going at high speed in the classroom, even though it made much of the students in the pathways shiver. As the last day of school, many of the high school classes had been restless, relaxed, chatty, and eager to leave all at once. Not this one, though. The students were quiet, trying not to look restless. Even if it was the last day, no one wanted to cross this teacher.
She was wearing a black skirt and a white button-up shirt, although the blue baseball cap on her head was at odds with the rest of her outfit. Her black hair was kept in a neat braid and her glasses were tinted just enough that one couldn’t read her eyes. And under her watch, not even the boldest of delinquents would disobey. A few had tried, early on in the school year. They had met with severe punishments; one had even been removed from school without notice to anyone else. That was still a mystery, except that he had angered her.
“All right, now that your tests our done, I’m going to give you a bonus lesson,” she said. “Although it is a bonus, it may be the most important thing you learn all year, so listen up.”
The students glanced at each other. Some wanted to groan and complain about a lesson on the last day of classes. But they kept quiet. They knew better.
The teacher started her lesson. “In the past, Unova was a corrupt and ignorant place. People competed and fought for no reason other than the fact that they enjoyed it. They called it a challenge and a chance for personal growth, but it was really just a glorification of violence and cruelty. Even worse, they did not fight themselves. No, they captured innocent Pokemon and treated them as tools in terrible battles, then claimed all the glory if they won, even if the Pokemon did all the hard work. And people saw this as normal, the ideal way of life.
“But one person saw this as the cruelty it was. This was Lord N, a unique and magnificent person. His heart and soul were so pure that he could understand the calls of Pokemon as if they were clear words. By listening to the Pokemon, he discovered how much they were hurt by the practices of Pokemon battling, and the tyrannical organization that governed it, the Pokemon League. N could not stand to leave Pokemon to suffer, so he sought to let us humans know what we were doing. At first, few would listen to him.
“One who did listen to N was our glorious leader, Ghetsis. He saw the truth of what N said and immediately agreed to help him. They gathered six other follows and, between the eight of them, founded Team Plasma with the goal to liberate Pokemon and set right the wrongs that the Pokemon League had inflicted. After researching ways to get people to take them seriously, they had their leader N undergo an ancient trial that established a King in the land of Unova. He succeeded on his first try.
“But he did not stop there. He decided to travel the land and defeat the Pokemon League at their own game. Since Trainers who did well in the League became famous, this gave him a way to spread his message to everyone. The Seven Sages also went throughout Unova to let others know how they were hurting those they said they loved. The leader of the Sages, Ghetsis, was most successful at this, getting many people to release their Pokemon and do the right thing.
“In their efforts, even the legendary Pokemon acknowledged the justice that was being done. The black dragon Zekrom, the one who seeks to put the world in the state it should be, conforming to the highest ideals, Zekrom came to N and offered him a link to the power to change the world. N accepted Zekrom’s offer and they worked together to defeat the Pokemon League and take place as its Champion.
“At that point, no one could deny the truth of N’s vision. Many people called for the end of the Pokemon League, and the system of the Pokeballs that allowed for the enslavement of Pokemon. Only those that had proven themselves truly loyal and sympathetic to Pokemon, N, the Seven Sages, and the best of Team Plasma, were allowed to keep Pokemon to help change the world.
“Something happened, though, that cut N’s efforts short. He had been offered divine power from Zekrom, but such things are not meant for the mortal hands of mankind. Although few know his ultimate fate, the power consumed him and the King of Unova is no longer with us. The people of Unova, and especially those of Team Plasma, were devastated at this. But Ghetsis remained strong and swore that even with him gone, he would see to it that N’s vision was brought to life.
“Thus, ten years ago, he became the leader of Unova, the one who would shape us all into the ideal and perfect land. The other regions of the world do not understand our quest and may have declared us corrupt, but we know that the corruptions and excesses of the Pokemon League remain in full power there. We are working to become greater then them, though, and spread the truth about how Pokemon and humans should live separately unless both sides prove that they are wise and understanding, such as those in Team Plasma. Anyone else, including all of you, should strive to improve yourselves so that you may be deemed worthy. You are still ignorant in many ways, and you must work to break past your selfish thoughts and conform to the ideal world that is being made. When you do, all will be clear.
“So, any questions?” The teacher smiled as she looked over them.
The students felt nervous. Some wanted to believe in her words and follow them. Others felt that her words were the lies. But no matter what they felt, on the front of her cap, there was a shield emblem of black and white, bearing a large ‘P’ with a zig-zag behind it. She was a devoted member of Team Plasma and if you went against one of them, you went against all of them.
-+-
In the grassy graveyard, things were quiet. A flock of Pidoves cooed to talk to each other, but it was a calming background. If the Pokemon felt comfortable there, then there was likely to be little danger about. The sky was mostly blue with a few clouds about. It was early summer for Unova, and the daily heat was slowly creeping in.
The three of them were near one of the graves. “All of the packages should have been received by now,” the tallest one said. “So long as nothing happened to them in the mailing system.”
“Do you regret putting this to the control of many, instead of one?” one of the others asked.
“It’s too early to be asking that.” There was a pause between the three. “It’s a risk and things will be unstable when their powers begin to manifest. But the chaos may be necessary.”
“Total chaos would destroy everything.”
“I know. We must believe in the good nature of mankind. So are you going to stay behind?”
The third member of the group nodded. “As I should. Don’t worry about me. I can blend in until the right time comes.”
“We trust you. But we will still worry about you.” A smile, then sadness. “Though we can’t stay here for too long. As much as the respect is deserved… it’s time to go. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, for now.”
The third member left the graveyard to find a place to hide and watch. The other two left the graveyard through the front gate. Once they left, they would have to watch their words and actions. Graveyards were still honored as places of privacy, but if they took advantage of that too much, it would no longer be so.
But with the assistance of the mysterious person called Tao, seventeen people in Unova are about to receive a chance at divine power: a soul link with one of the legendary Pokemon. This is meant to get rid of the corrupt Ghetsis and Team Plasma, but will the power itself corrupt them and cause more devastation? Only time will tell.
Divine
With great power comes great responsibility… or great insanity.
With great power comes great responsibility… or great insanity.
Two fans were going at high speed in the classroom, even though it made much of the students in the pathways shiver. As the last day of school, many of the high school classes had been restless, relaxed, chatty, and eager to leave all at once. Not this one, though. The students were quiet, trying not to look restless. Even if it was the last day, no one wanted to cross this teacher.
She was wearing a black skirt and a white button-up shirt, although the blue baseball cap on her head was at odds with the rest of her outfit. Her black hair was kept in a neat braid and her glasses were tinted just enough that one couldn’t read her eyes. And under her watch, not even the boldest of delinquents would disobey. A few had tried, early on in the school year. They had met with severe punishments; one had even been removed from school without notice to anyone else. That was still a mystery, except that he had angered her.
“All right, now that your tests our done, I’m going to give you a bonus lesson,” she said. “Although it is a bonus, it may be the most important thing you learn all year, so listen up.”
The students glanced at each other. Some wanted to groan and complain about a lesson on the last day of classes. But they kept quiet. They knew better.
The teacher started her lesson. “In the past, Unova was a corrupt and ignorant place. People competed and fought for no reason other than the fact that they enjoyed it. They called it a challenge and a chance for personal growth, but it was really just a glorification of violence and cruelty. Even worse, they did not fight themselves. No, they captured innocent Pokemon and treated them as tools in terrible battles, then claimed all the glory if they won, even if the Pokemon did all the hard work. And people saw this as normal, the ideal way of life.
“But one person saw this as the cruelty it was. This was Lord N, a unique and magnificent person. His heart and soul were so pure that he could understand the calls of Pokemon as if they were clear words. By listening to the Pokemon, he discovered how much they were hurt by the practices of Pokemon battling, and the tyrannical organization that governed it, the Pokemon League. N could not stand to leave Pokemon to suffer, so he sought to let us humans know what we were doing. At first, few would listen to him.
“One who did listen to N was our glorious leader, Ghetsis. He saw the truth of what N said and immediately agreed to help him. They gathered six other follows and, between the eight of them, founded Team Plasma with the goal to liberate Pokemon and set right the wrongs that the Pokemon League had inflicted. After researching ways to get people to take them seriously, they had their leader N undergo an ancient trial that established a King in the land of Unova. He succeeded on his first try.
“But he did not stop there. He decided to travel the land and defeat the Pokemon League at their own game. Since Trainers who did well in the League became famous, this gave him a way to spread his message to everyone. The Seven Sages also went throughout Unova to let others know how they were hurting those they said they loved. The leader of the Sages, Ghetsis, was most successful at this, getting many people to release their Pokemon and do the right thing.
“In their efforts, even the legendary Pokemon acknowledged the justice that was being done. The black dragon Zekrom, the one who seeks to put the world in the state it should be, conforming to the highest ideals, Zekrom came to N and offered him a link to the power to change the world. N accepted Zekrom’s offer and they worked together to defeat the Pokemon League and take place as its Champion.
“At that point, no one could deny the truth of N’s vision. Many people called for the end of the Pokemon League, and the system of the Pokeballs that allowed for the enslavement of Pokemon. Only those that had proven themselves truly loyal and sympathetic to Pokemon, N, the Seven Sages, and the best of Team Plasma, were allowed to keep Pokemon to help change the world.
“Something happened, though, that cut N’s efforts short. He had been offered divine power from Zekrom, but such things are not meant for the mortal hands of mankind. Although few know his ultimate fate, the power consumed him and the King of Unova is no longer with us. The people of Unova, and especially those of Team Plasma, were devastated at this. But Ghetsis remained strong and swore that even with him gone, he would see to it that N’s vision was brought to life.
“Thus, ten years ago, he became the leader of Unova, the one who would shape us all into the ideal and perfect land. The other regions of the world do not understand our quest and may have declared us corrupt, but we know that the corruptions and excesses of the Pokemon League remain in full power there. We are working to become greater then them, though, and spread the truth about how Pokemon and humans should live separately unless both sides prove that they are wise and understanding, such as those in Team Plasma. Anyone else, including all of you, should strive to improve yourselves so that you may be deemed worthy. You are still ignorant in many ways, and you must work to break past your selfish thoughts and conform to the ideal world that is being made. When you do, all will be clear.
“So, any questions?” The teacher smiled as she looked over them.
The students felt nervous. Some wanted to believe in her words and follow them. Others felt that her words were the lies. But no matter what they felt, on the front of her cap, there was a shield emblem of black and white, bearing a large ‘P’ with a zig-zag behind it. She was a devoted member of Team Plasma and if you went against one of them, you went against all of them.
-+-
In the grassy graveyard, things were quiet. A flock of Pidoves cooed to talk to each other, but it was a calming background. If the Pokemon felt comfortable there, then there was likely to be little danger about. The sky was mostly blue with a few clouds about. It was early summer for Unova, and the daily heat was slowly creeping in.
The three of them were near one of the graves. “All of the packages should have been received by now,” the tallest one said. “So long as nothing happened to them in the mailing system.”
“Do you regret putting this to the control of many, instead of one?” one of the others asked.
“It’s too early to be asking that.” There was a pause between the three. “It’s a risk and things will be unstable when their powers begin to manifest. But the chaos may be necessary.”
“Total chaos would destroy everything.”
“I know. We must believe in the good nature of mankind. So are you going to stay behind?”
The third member of the group nodded. “As I should. Don’t worry about me. I can blend in until the right time comes.”
“We trust you. But we will still worry about you.” A smile, then sadness. “Though we can’t stay here for too long. As much as the respect is deserved… it’s time to go. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, for now.”
The third member left the graveyard to find a place to hide and watch. The other two left the graveyard through the front gate. Once they left, they would have to watch their words and actions. Graveyards were still honored as places of privacy, but if they took advantage of that too much, it would no longer be so.
