PKMN Origins: Return of the Beasts (Sequel, PG)

[~RaikouRider243~]

This is a sequel to Pokémon Origins: The Johto Saga. Enjoy! R/Rs and CC are always welcome!

Pokémon Origins: The Johto Saga
Volume II --- Return of the Beasts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prologue

Seven hundred years ago, in the Johto region, man had discovered the abilities and usefulness of Pokémon. Man and Pokémon at first worked together constructively, using their skills to develop technology that caused society to advance. One fateful day, a freak accident in ancient Ecruteak City caused mankind to discover the superb fighting abilities of Pokémon. Shortly after a similar accident in a large civilization located where Goldenrod City is located today, the two sides went to war, not knowing about the discoveries that the other had made.

Every day the war dragged on brought with it the loss of many human lives. Some soldiers died by fire, others by cold, others by electric shock, and still others by mysterious powers that the Pokémon had. After some time there were insufficient human forces for either side to defend against the attacks. The generals had no choice but to pit the Pokémon against each other. Their powers were much greater than anticipated, and threatened the lives of everyone in the entire region.

When it looked like the war would end in the destruction of both sides, three warriors from the west came rushing into the battle atop large beast Pokémon. The speed of these Pokémon made the cavalry units terribly slow by comparison. The three warriors attacked with their swords bearing powers of fire, lightning, and ice. Though the generals' Pokémon tried to avert the intervention, the three Beasts were too evasive and too powerful to do anything. Both sides were forced to sign an armistice, ending the potential destruction of the region. After the armistice, the three warriors vanished.

Seven hundred years later, that battle was raged once more in the land of Johto. Three college juniors interested in the legendary Pokémon of Ecruteak City would become the legendary Beast Riders, just as the warriors of centuries ago. Though it took some doing, the three young men passed the tests of the legendary Beasts of the Burned Tower, and they joined forces. They raced across the land, quenching the efforts of the Legacy Hunters, a criminal syndicate dedicated to capturing legendary Pokémon and using them to conquer the world. The Legacy Hunters had laid siege to strategic cities in the region, such as Olivine City and Goldenrod City. When the entity was about to invade Ecruteak City and take the Pokémon there, the Beast Riders rushed to the rescue and drove them all the way back to their headquarters on one of the Sevii Islands.

Ho-oh, the guardian of the legendary Beasts, flew the brave warriors to that island to exterminate the Legacy Hunters for good. Fierce battle after fierce battle raged on the island. By the time they had reached the evil leader, he was ready to capture Lugia, the guardian of the sea. Instead, the gargantuan bird turned on the leader, killing him. Continuing its rage, it tried to kill the Beasts and their riders. Defying all odds, the Beast Riders defeated Lugia with the help of Ho-oh.

After a long period of celebration, the three young warriors parted with the legendary Pokémon they had been with for so long. It brought tears to their eyes. Ho-oh was watching over the melancholy moment the entire time. It was debating whether making them part was the best thing to do.

It was a major adjustment for them to get back to the dull and ordinary routine of education, but it took little time. The experiences with the legendary Pokémon gave them the inspiration to write beautiful research papers for a related class that all of them were enrolled in. Failing to earn under an "A" on any evaluation after serving as a warrior, the three students exited the first semester of the course at the top of their class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1 -- New Students

It was the last weekend of inter-semester vacation for everyone at Ecruteak University. Not knowing where Ace and Aravan were, Josh was outside, sitting under a tree close to a huge, open field north of campus, reading his research paper he got back from Professor Wallace before vacation started. He was a bit depressed, missing Raikou dearly. After receiving an "A" on the paper, there would ordinarily be nothing to have a long face over. When he started to shed a few tears, Ace came blazing forward on his speedy Arcanine, while Aravan dove toward the ground on his Flygon. The two noticed Josh sitting with his head down in sorrow. Ace slowed Arcanine to a stop as Flygon landed. Both of them dismounted their Pokémon.

"Why the long face, Josh?" Ace asked.

"I miss Raikou. I was just reading the paper that Professor Wallace returned to me a while ago, and it reminded me too much of racing across the land on its back." He shed another tear. "Say, want me to have a look at your papers? We can all exchange."

"Sure, Josh. I'd love to," Ace answered.

"Me too," Aravan added. With that, they climbed atop their Pokémon and dashed off to get their papers. Josh didn't have to wait too long for them to come back. They spent an hour reviewing and commenting on each others' papers. Aravan started reminiscing about Suicune, but he shed no tears.

"My experiences with Suicune gave me the inspiration to write this. When I reread this, I was like, 'I wrote this?' It wasn't just an assignment. It was almost like a journal of my experiences with Suicune."

Ace was particularly impressed with Josh's paper. To him, it seemed poetic in describing the battles Raikou had fought centuries ago. "Josh, I wish I could write like you. You should get this published somewhere."

Josh understood where Ace was coming from, but he had no such plans. "Ace, if I got this published and it was in public domain, I couldn't get the press off my back for weeks. I hate constant media coverage. Remember when we returned from Birth Island, how many news stations there were? A lot. We attracted media from all over the Johto, Kanto, Orre, and Hoenn regions. If this research paper hit public domain, I'd freak out."

"I miss Suicune a lot, too. The first week was hard, but I think I'm over it now," Aravan said. "Say, Josh..."

"Yes?" he responded.

"Couldn't we always go back to Ho-oh and ask for Raikou again? If I remember, it said we could come visit it again if we wanted Raikou, Entei, and Suicune back again. So if you missed Raikou so much--"

"Just because we used them during a crisis and saved Johto doesn't imply we can do whatever we want with them, whenever we want," Ace interrupted. "They are legendary Pokémon, probably one of a kind in their fullest form. I don't think they are intended to be used entirely at human discretion, and certainly not for sport. It could upset the balance of nature."

Josh snapped back at Ace, starting a debate. "They love us. You heard Raikou plead with Ho-oh. You are right in the fact that they shouldn't be used totally at human discretion. But your logic implies that outside of a crisis, they should never be used, period. That's where I disagree. Though capturing the legendary Beasts could create an imbalance of power, I believe that this is an extenuating circumstance--"

"The first 'extenuating circumstance' in seven hundred years. You're really stretching it, Josh."

Aravan jumped in. "Josh, for once, I'm siding against you on an important issue. Though you both present very valid points, I don't think Ho-oh will break a tradition lasting seven hundred years. I remember the pleas of Raikou just as well as you do, Josh. If there was a good enough reason for Ho-oh to let us capture the Pokémon, it would have let us do it a long time ago."

Josh attempted to refute Aravan's points. "Something we did recently, what I have no idea, could have caused Ho-oh to change its mind. You can never know for sure. I acknowledge your opinion, and respect it. But I believe there is an extenuating circumstance that would move Ho-oh to change its mind at some point."

They continued the debate for some time into the afternoon. It ended up in a stalemate. After the debate ended, Ace offered Josh a ride on Arcanine. Josh refused, saying that it "just wouldn't be the same."

When the second semester of the Ancient Pokémon History class began, Professor Wallace introduced two new students. "This semester, we have two new students: Shalin, a sophomore, and Donovan, a senior. Please help them feel welcomed into the class." When Josh heard Professor Wallace announce Donovan's name, he cursed under his breath.

Shalin was a young, attractive lady with a gentle personality and a desire for cute Pokémon. She doesn't mind battling, but she doesn't like it either. However, cute as they may be, her Pokémon pack quite a punch.

Donovan, on the other hand, was the most feared bully on campus. Always looking for reasons to harass people, no one wants to be around him. Not afraid to curse in front of anyone except campus faculty, he was in danger of expulsion as a junior and had been in behavioral counseling on numerous occasions. Showing little to no respect for his Pokémon, he battles to demonstrate his power. He prefers to wield Dark-type Pokémon that are ferocious and powerful.

The first week of the semester went somewhat smoothly, but as the week dragged on, Donovan became jealous of how well Josh, Ace, and Aravan were doing in the class. Enmity was placed between he and the group.

On the Friday of the second week, Professor Wallace asked Aravan to share his knowledge about the Johto Legends with the class. He brought Josh and Ace up to the front of the room to assist him, and the three retold the epic story of how they saved the Johto region from the Legacy Hunters, with the help of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. This story captured the attention of everyone in the room. Shalin was simply spellbound that the three warriors that saved Ecruteak City from utter chaos just weeks ago were in the room with her.

Donovan, however, became extremely ticked off at the three of them, particularly Josh. He blatantly interrupted the story by ranting loudly. "You have to be kidding me! Do you expect me to believe all of that horse crap?! The story of the Beast Riders was actually keeping me interested. That is, until you make the incredibly ridiculous claim that you are those warriors. That's a damn lie, I tell you! A damn lie!"

"Donovan, either behave yourself or leave now," the professor warned.

"Shut up!!" Turning back to Josh, he continued his rant. "There is plenty of support for the story itself. But your claims are so absurd, it's stupid! All three of you should stick your lame stories up your asses, where they belong! You should toss all of that garbage in the trash can before I have to toss you!"

When Donovan had told Professor Wallace to "shut up," the scholar quietly paged for someone from the administration to escort him out of the classroom. By the time he had finished, that staff member had arrived. "Donovan, please come with me." Knowing his limits, he followed the adult to the main office, where disciplinary measures were taken.

After Donovan was removed from the room, Professor Wallace apologized for the interruption, then class continued as normal. When class was dismissed, Donovan was waiting outside the room for Josh, Ace, and Aravan. He caught them talking together, and slapped each of them very hard in the right arm. After physically and verbally abusing each other for a couple of minutes, Josh offered a solution.

"This isn't doing us any good," he said. "How about we settle this with a Pokémon battle. Us versus you. Three of your Pokémon versus one of each of ours."

Donovan liked the idea. "Meet me outside the football field at five PM. Chicken out and you'll suffer the consequences. So I'd better see all of your sorry faces over there at that time."

Aravan was concerned. "Why should we battle him? He'll be a cheat!" he quietly said to Josh.

Josh whispered back to both Aravan and Ace, "I know he'll probably cheat, but it's better than getting beaten by him." Speaking aloud to Donovan, he said, "Agreed. We will be there at five PM, sharp. And I assure you, we will not be late."

"Better not be," Donovan snapped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Flaming Lip]

hmm.. that was recap. Your fic was the first I read, even before I joined. Anyway I hope this is not any rehash, or like movie sequals. Oh well I hope you avoid those things.

Flamng Lip

Edit: well you added Chapter Two. The addition of the two charecters caght my interest. My fears of medocrity have dimenished, but I have one problem: Since when does Ace have a good volcbulary (unless you count that "cur" thing in the last fic)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Teh yay-ness!!!!!!! Once again, your writing alway seems to snag my undivided attention, even with other fics I enjoy, I often stall and sometimes even have to force myself to read new schapters, but not here. The only thing I can say is that the ending wasn't very conclusive enough, I suppose. Awesome job, though, I can't wait to see where this goes.

~Chibi~;249;

 

[~RaikouRider243~]

Chapter 2

I'm posting these in a hurry, but I need to speak with Psyduck, my co-author, about chapter 3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2 -- The Bully's Bullies

A low-pitched bell sounded five times. Josh, Ace, Aravan, and Donovan were ready to battle. "I'll go first," Josh volunteered. "This is an excellent opportunity to test out my REBS Module."

"What's that?" Aravan asked.

"It's a project for a programming class I'm in. It attaches a computer chip to a Pokémon, then sends battle information back to the receiving unit in my left hand. Manectric, you're up!" Josh released Manectric from its Poké Ball. The Pokémon was ready for battle. He turned the device on.

"What does REBS stand for?" Ace asked.

"Real-time Emulated Battle Stat Module," Josh responded. "When I turned on this receptor unit, the chip attached to Manectric activated, and look at what appeared on the screen." Josh pointed to several displayed items on the screen. "This green bar is the Pokémon's life force. If Manectric gets hurt, the bar becomes shorter. Over here, it shows certain attributes like offensive power, defensive strength, and electrical levels. Basically, this thing shows me exactly how my Pokémon is doing in battle."

"Wow," Ace said. "That's cool."

"Enough chit-chat, boys, we're starting! Magmar, you're on! Burn!!" At that, Donovan released Magmar, a fire-type, human-shaped Pokémon with a flaming body and tail.

Manectric opened up with a biting attack at Magmar's chest. It evaded the assault and countered with a flaming punch. The attack brushed Manectric's right side, crediting Magmar with the first successful attack of the battle. On Josh's screen, a red "39" appeared in front of the picture of Manectric, then faded. The green bar became a shorter yellow-green bar. "Good," Josh said to himself. "That's working as planned." He then yelled for Manectric. "Counter with a Thunderbolt!" The electric Pokémon launched a close-range electric shot toward Magmar. Donovan's Pokémon took considerable damage, but recovered quickly.

Going for a combo attack, Manectric tried biting at the chest again. Magmar rolled to the left and spewed a large burst of fire from its mouth. Josh's Pokémon dodged most of it, but it got caught in the rear legs. The yellow-green bar shortened and turned amber. Josh knew it was running out of energy.

Manectric, knowing it was running out of stamina, backed away and fired another Thunderbolt. Donovan just laughed. "That's not going to work again, Josh. Magmar, Smokescreen!" After evading the electric assault, the fire Pokémon covered the arena with a thick smoke. "Let's see you deal with that!" Under the cover of the smoke, Magmar ran toward Manectric and tried slashing with its claws. The electric-type saw the attacker just in time, and hopped backward.

"Pick up on its scent!" Josh suggested. Relying on its sense of smell, Manectric shot another Thunderbolt at the hidden foe. Not knowing where the attack was coming from, Magmar panicked and was directly hit by the attack. That was the end of the round.

The second round was a duel between Ace's Typhlosion and Donovan's Crawdaunt. Ace started chuckling. "What the hell's so funny, dork? You're about to be destroyed?" Donovan asked sarcastically.

"The joke's on you," Ace replied, still chuckling. "You'll see."

Crawdaunt waited for the attack. Typhlosion came on strong with a slashing attack. The enemy Pokémon attacked with its Crab Hammer. Both attacks missed. The battle was going nowhere, until...

"Typhlosion, use the secret weapon!" At that, Ace's Pokémon threw a low electrical punch, landing a crushing blow. Crawdaunt fell with just one hit.

"It's over," Aravan noted to Donovan. "We've won two out of three rounds. You don't have to put your Pokémon through any more pain. The match is over."

"I don't care! Your turn, Tauros!"

Aravan used Flygon against the bull Pokémon. This battle was very fast as well. With no way to jump, Donovan's Pokémon could not reach Flygon. Soaring high into the air, far away from its opponent, the dragon dove into the ground, creating a brief 6.5 earthquake. "There's nothing you can do, Donovan. Tauros can't reach Flygon. It's over. Save it some pain and surrender," Aravan asked him.

"No! Never!" Donovan hollered.

"Very well." At that, Aravan's Pokémon soared once more and came crashing into the ground, causing another 6.5 earthquake. Donovan had lost all three rounds of the match. Recalling Tauros, he went into a furious rage.

"This is still no reason to believe you are warriors! Mark my words, I will get stronger. I will obtain a power you cannot comprehend, and use it to destroy all of you! You hear me?! The next time we battle, you'll wish you were in hell!!" At that, the defeated trainer stomped off in disgust. Shalin stepped forward.

"You guys are so brave, standing up to him like that!" she said in admiration.

"Thank you," Ace said.

"In class, you tried to tell how you saved Johto by joining forces with the legendary Pokémon. What was that like?" she asked.

"Let's do this in some other place," Ace responded. "I'm a little tired from that battle."

"How about in my room?" Josh suggested.

Shalin was delighted at the idea. "Thanks, Josh!"

That evening, just before six, they all arrived at Josh's room. It was a little cramped for four people, but they made do.

"Josh, what was it like for you to control that legendary Pokémon?"

He didn't know where to start. "It's an experience unlike any other, that's for certain. I miss everything about Raikou. Legendary Pokémon can communicate directly with the minds of chosen people. I was chosen to control Raikou. The part I enjoyed the most was riding like the wind across that big field north of campus. When I was riding Raikou, all the scenery around me was a large blur. I felt wild and free, as if I had become one with Raikou. Ace knows this better than I do, but if you've ever ridden Arcanine in Extremespeed, you know you're going very fast. I've done that before, and it is quite the experience. But it's not the same as Raikou. When you jump on Raikou and speed off into the distance, there is this feeling of power, speed, and thrills that you can't get from Arcanine." Shalin didn't know how to respond. Josh continued.

"Also, being a swordsman for a while was interesting. Those fencing lessons I took as a kid got a lot of use when I was a Raikou Rider. It was no ordinary sword, either. It was a yellow, lightning-shaped blade enhanced with Raikou's electricity. It was a weapon to be feared, and I used it to the best of my ability."

Aravan added some of his experiences. "Riding Suicune was nothing short of awesome. I'd ridden Pokémon before, but nothing like this. The way Suicune runs, you don't feel all the wind resistance you should, yet you're still racing forward so fast, no ordinary land Pokémon is going to catch you. Suicune's so fast that it can run on water. No need for it to swim, it can just run over the water."

Hearing all of this, Shalin was simply amazed at the experiences described. She knew that both of them were lost for words. "I wish I could become a Beast Rider," she said. "It sounds like the most awesome experience in the world! But I'll never get a chance." They discussed the Beasts for another hour, then all three guests left, each for their own rooms.

After Josh finished eating dinner, a severe thunderstorm came rolling into the area. The howling winds sounded through the windows, which Josh promptly closed. The thunder was terribly loud, and subtly reminded Josh of Raikou's roar. It kept him awake for longer than he wanted. When he drifted off to sleep, he had a terrible nightmare. Donovan had grown much stronger, and had a set of completely new Pokémon. The former Raikou Rider was getting terribly slaughtered in battle.

"Salamence! Finish this!" Donovan yelled. The flying dragon dove straight into the now-defenseless Charmeleon. When the diving slash connected with amazing accuracy, Charmeleon sounded an ear-piercing scream of pain. The fiery lizard was critically wounded. Josh ran up to his Pokémon, ready to tend to its wounds. "You soft-hearted boy! You'll never win like that! In fact, go to hell right now! Finish off Josh!!"

The dragon took flight once more, setting its eyes on Josh. When Donovan's Pokémon was about to collide with its target, the thought of death woke him up, heart beating fast. "What a terrible nightmare!" Josh said to himself. He tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't; nor could he stop thinking about Donovan. "This is just like last time. Something's not right with this Donovan guy."

Taking his five Pokémon with him, Josh quietly left his room and locked the door. Carefully setting his foot down on the tile floor every step of the way, Josh knew he had to be stealthy in exiting the building. Slowly going down the stairs to the ground floor, Josh's heartbeat remained high. If he were caught prowling the halls at night, there would be big trouble for him. Luckily for him, there were no staff members roaming the hallways. Stealthily opening and closing the exit door, Josh successfully made it out of the building. It was about half past three.

"Whew! I made it. Now time to get out of here." At that, Josh released Pidgeot from its Poké Ball. The Pokémon was silent upon coming out, as per its trainer's request. Josh climbed between the eagle's wings and soared off toward the peak of Tin Tower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next chapter, everything will be explained clearly. This is a hard chapter to understand plotwise, but it sets up the next.

 

[Flaming Lip]

Oh intereseting. Hmmm... think that the bully dude may have a little somthing to do with the Legacy Hunters

 

[Psyduck]

Hi everyone! Just so you know, I'm the co-auther of this fic. And I hope you all enjoy it.

 

[billy5772]

This is starting off pretty good. Who is this rival guy and where'd that girl come from? Maybe I should just wait until you explain. I'll be back to read the rest of your chapters as I did enjoy the first part.

EDIT: Will you be putting in music like you did with the last one? That was pretty awesome. I'll be rating it later, after a few chapters have gone by. It'll probably be a five like the last time.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Cool, so far I like it, and I suspect Donovan is involved with [SPOIL]the new beasts you told me about.[/SPOIL] I didn't find it confusing, and I like where it ended. I just hope Shalin is just the side girl to just admire them, although I do have my assumptions about her role in the plot as well. Keep it up!

~Chibi~;249;

 

[~RaikouRider243~]

RaikouRider243 to Billy5772: Yes there will be music, but I'll toss them in a ZIP this time instead of providing links. That is, when my postcount gets high enough. See, either some of the songs I want to use are available only in MP3 format, or the MIDI version is terrible. The download speed for the MP3s is quite slow on dialup connections, particularly from certain sites. No, they're not illegal, I'm sure of it. If you want the music beforehand, just PM me and I can e-mail it to you.

RaikouRider243 to Chibi Pika: [spoil] Yes, Donovan is involved with the new Beasts. Shalin is for the most part a side girl to admire them, but she gets a role in the second half of the fic. [/spoil]


Chapter 3 -- Josh's Night Ride

The long flight to Tin Tower seemed to take forever. By the time Josh arrived at the peak, it was nearly four in the morning. A surprised Ho-oh saw Josh coming to the tower, probably to discuss something disturbing enough to interrupt his sleep.

"Josh! Long time no see, Raikou Rider. What brings you up here alone in the middle of the night?"

"Ever since this...er, yesterday morning in class, something's been weighing heavily on my mind, and it isn't good. I never told you about Donovan, the big bully on the college campus, did I?"

"No, I don't recall that name."

"He's only been a problem to me since yesterday morning. When Aravan, Ace, and I shared the story of how we saved Johto with your help, Donovan went absolutely berserk in class, with no regard for anyone else. He shouted and cursed at us for a long time, and the professor had to remove him from the room before we could continue. After class, he came just outside the room and beat us up. I suggested the three of us battle him to settle things, and we defeated him handily. He went off ranting and swearing again, claiming that he would come back with a power unimaginable. This brings me to why
I came here.

I had a horrible nightmare just a couple of hours ago. I was battling Donovan alone, and he was destroying my team, causing them more pain than necessary. After taking down my last Pokémon, his Salamence went after me. That's when I woke, and I couldn't get back to sleep for the rest of the night. Something isn't right about Donovan. I think he's going to try to kill me before dealing with Ace or Aravan. He'll probably want their heads, too. Based on these circumstances, I have a request. Since Raikou knows me well...so well that I'm almost its 'trainer,' so to speak, would you let me keep Raikou on a more permanent basis? I think it's time to let go of the past and move on to the present, O great rainbow Pokémon. Please grant this request."

Recalling the moment when Josh left Raikou before, it was a great decision for Ho-oh to make. Either option would pose a great risk to the future of the Beast Riders. After deliberating with itself for nearly ten minutes, it finally came to a decision. "Josh, Raikou Rider...I trust you. I will allow you to keep Raikou indefinitely, at my discretion. You are free to do whatever you want to do with it within reason, on the following two conditions. First, you cannot capture Raikou in a Poké Ball, and second, you cannot tell Ace, Aravan, or anyone that this is on a more permanent basis. Is that understood?"

"Thank you so much. And I do agree to your conditions. Second question: what is this dark power you've been sensing all along?"

"The story of the legendary Beasts has two sides to it. Humans know only of one side. I shall now reveal to you the other side of the story of the legendary Beasts. Listen closely, Josh."

"I'm all ears."

"In addition to the ones you already know about, there were three more legendary Beasts that existed. Only one, though, lived in the Burned Tower. The other two, even I don't know how they came to be or where they originated. But I do know this: one of them carried with it powers of Light, and the other Darkness. They were much, much stronger than any of the Beasts you know today, Josh. The Beast of Life, Zoltin, was a white, griffinlike creature with lavender spots over its fur. It was also quite small compared to its fellow Beasts. It was a slow runner compared to its cousins as well, but that was not where its strength was contained. It had large wings at each of its sides. By jumping high and flapping its wings, it could run through the air as fast as your Beast runs across land.

Boasting a lustrous mane and a long, thin tail, Zoltin clearly had the looks of a holy Beast. It had the ability to curb the evil and bring out the good of the human heart. Though it was extremely strong, it was extremely loving and kind. It would submit to one whose heart it deemed pure. That one could ride Zoltin across the skies at speeds like that of your Raikou on land.

Zoltin's only enemy was the Beast of Death, Akuji. It was a black, evil-looking Beast much larger than Entei. Its eyes were more blood-red than Raikou's. It possessed a red saliva that looked just like blood. One of its handicaps was a lack of endurance for running. However, it was an excellent sprinter. Think about how fast you raced Raikou in that open field the one day after the Legacy Hunters left Johto, Josh. When sprinting in Extremespeed, Akuji could run at double that speed for about a minute. Nothing bound to the ground could escape it."

"No way. Nothing can run that fast," Josh remarked in disbelief.

"That's what was written down long ago. It had large claws on all four of its paws, as well as a sharp hook on the end of its tail. Also boasting twin horns on its forehead, it was the most savage creature you can imagine. Its objective was to show its self-proclaimed superiority to all creatures, as if it were a god. It had the intent to destroy all things opposed to it. It acted toward humans in an exact opposite manner to Zoltin: it would only submit to humans who have a sincere desire to turn evil. Often times, though, in the end, Akuji would use the human merely as a puppet to fuel its own evil desires."

"Did anyone ever ride on its back? It sounds too fast to be ridden. Raikou's Extremespeed I can handle. But nearly double that, no way. I'd fall off and die from the incredible force of the crash."

"Out of the many evil masters who tried to ride Akuji, only one succeeded. And he had little to no control over it. He was just along for the ride."

"Little wonder Akuji was so feared. Anyway, what happened that caused them to disappear?"

"The two great creatures of Life and Death fought each other for a very long time, trying to sway the human population over to their respective sides. Despite the tremendous effort put forth by both of them, the battle continued to be a stalemate, accompanied by the piling up of lost lives, both human and Pokémon. One late afternoon, I met up with Lugia to discuss what we could do about Akuji and Zoltin. We tried countless methods to curb their powers, yet still let them roam the world. Nothing worked, and the devastation continued to increase. It was a painful decision, but we had no choice but to seal the two Beasts away in a secret location of the Johto region. It took nearly all of our power to do it. We sealed Akuji and Zoltin away successfully, and the seal was to last for all time. Unfortunately, we sealed away an innocent Beast with them. The Beast of Birth, Midori. She had power over plants, being a Grass-type."

"That completes the circle. Raikou of the Thunder has dominance over Suicune of the Water, who has dominance over Entei of the Flames. With this information you have given me, Entei has dominance over Midori, who has dominance over Raikou. It makes perfect sense now. What did she look like?"

"She slightly resembled Suicune in body shape. She had dark green fur with light green spots all over. Carrying strong vines on her back, she could strangle foes with them, among other things. If frightened, she would secrete a deadly toxin from her fur. Her ways of attacking were with the poison, the vines, or the spiked club at the end of her tail. She was a timid but gentle Beast. Being significantly smaller than Suicune but larger than Zoltin, Midori easily hid in jungles and wooded lands to hide from danger."

"Wait. I have a number of questions. Am I correct in assuming that Midori got seperated from Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, and that's possibly why she was accidentally sealed away?"

"Yes, Josh. That is correct."

"I see why you had to lock up Akuji. But why seal Zoltin with it? There's no reason to do that. If Zoltin were to roam the world, look at all of the problems it would solve. There would be no wars, you know the rest."

"We only had a short window of opportunity, and we had to get Akuji out of the world. We couldn't isolate one enough to seal it completely. Having no choice, we sealed both of them away. But it was perhaps for the better. If one was allowed to roam the world, the delicate balance of nature would be greatly upset, and the Johto region--no, the world--would be thrown into utter chaos."

"Do you know what kind of people Akuji's alleged 'controllers' were? Very cruel, I imagine."

"Oh, they were absoultely ruthless people, many of them already having dictator-like powers. Their lust for power drew them toward Akuji, and they turned the human population toward the evil man's desires. The Beast was pure evil. No human could fully master it. One person came close, and that was the only man to ride on its back. Even he could not control the sprinting Beast. He was lucky he survived."

"Donovan's virtually a dictator on campus...you think he could control it?"

"Josh, I wouldn't put it past him. Though young, he is a very evil man. I could not see the light that remains in his heart; it is shrouded by a dark veil. He ranks with some of the best controllers of Akuji in the history of mankind. I wouldn't put anything past him. Stay away from him for now; I sense nothing but evil actions and thoughts from him now."

"This can't be just coincidence. Something's up with Donovan, and its scope extends beyond bullying. I think this is a life-threatening development. This is why I wanted Raikou back."

"Josh, you have grown up so much in such a short time. Ever since a few days ago, the power behind the seal has been rapidly growing. I don't know how long it will last. It's containing the power for now, but I don't know how much more power it can stop before the seal starts melting. Josh, go tell your friends about this, and get them up here to discuss this development. Anytime this morning will be fine, but you should let them sleep first."

"I'll get them here. I'm going to fly to the Burned Tower to get Raikou, then head back to campus and tell them what's going on." At that, he sent out Pidgeot, jumped on, and took off for the Burned Tower, a good distance to the west.

As the Raikou Rider flew off, Ho-oh continued to think about what was about to happen. "It is inevitable. Donovan will break the seal on Akuji. It's only a matter of time. Complicating matters, he is destined to become the first Beast Rider of Death. I have little choice. I have to tell Josh, Ace, and Aravan where Zoltin and Midori are sealed. But I can't do that until the chosen girl realizes her destiny..."

Arriving at the tower, Josh was excited to meet Raikou again. It was standing up in the center of the main floor, apparently expecting him. Entei and Suicune were nowhere in sight.

"Raikou!!" Josh screamed joyously as he ran for his Beast of Thunder.

"It's been terrible without you, Josh. I missed you dearly. It felt like you abandoned me. But hopefully, we won't have to worry about this again. I heard everything Ho-oh said. I am excited as you are to be a permanent ally with you. Ever since we parted, things have been incredibly routine, to the point where they've become boring. I am relieved that you came. Want to go for a ride, Josh? I'll take you back to where you wanted to go."

"You didn't even have to ask. Of course I want to go for a ride!" At that, Josh mounted Raikou for the first time in many weeks. "Just like old times. Raikou, let's go!" The yellow Beast dashed out of the tower. Considering that it had been a while since the two of them had been out, Josh handled Raikou beautifully. It accelerated more slowly than usual to make sure the rider would not fall off. This day would most certainly be a long and draining one for Josh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, the conversation was long enough 0_o
The next chapter won't be up for a while, so enjoy this one!

 

[Draconic Mage]

Dude, you PWN. Majorly. Those three chapters were very well done.

[spoil]On a side note, are you planning to use that sprite?[/spoil]

 

[Chibi Pika]

Interesting...I really like the history behind them, and the only complaint I have is that you didn't really describe Ho-oh and Raikou when he met them for the first time in this fic. I am definitely very intrigued by the plot thus far. Awesome job, I look forward to this being another incredible fic.

~Chibi~;249;

 

[extremegunner]

man this story is awesome. i nver really sit down and read any fics here, but this one caught my attention right on!

 

[billy5772]

Yes! This is shaping up very nicely. It's starting off even more exciting than the last one. But that makes sense since the history for it has already been laid. Great work. Keep it up!

 

[Flaming Lip]

I like it, but it seems to follow the 'typical' sequal rules: introduce a seocund part of the legand and provide a greater danger. Well hopefully you will avoid it

Flaming Lip

 

[~RaikouRider243~]

Chapter 4: Class Reunion

About time I posted a new chapter. This fic needs a bump anyhow. *bumps*

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4: Class Reunion

Going out on Raikou for the first time in months evoked some memorable flashbacks in Josh's memory, including the first time he rode and the first time he rode at full speed. Forgetting about the mission Ho-oh gave him, Josh spent most of the morning with Raikou and the rest of his Pokémon. It only took him less than an hour to remember the techniques he had developed for holding on to, and controlling, the ultra-fast Legend of Thunder.

Practicing them took about the same amount of time. Looking for new thrills, he pushed Raikou to its maximum speed of 220 miles per hour, then had it jump. The yellow Pokémon leaped into the air, easily reaching a height of several times its own. It did not slow its lateral speed when jumping, and even increased its speed on the way back down. When the Beast landed, the force of the impact loosened Josh's grip on it. It came out of the jump in Extremespeed, just like it did during that memorable race.

After giving his other Pokémon a chance to play, Josh and Raikou returned to the campus, ready to relay the news to the other Beast Riders and Shalin. They were lined up at the campus entrance, with every pair of arms crossed.

Aravan was particularly angry at Josh's absence. Completely ignoring Raikou, he yelled, "Josh! Where have you been? I never saw you this morning at all!"

Shalin immediately noticed Raikou and came closer to Josh. "That's Raikou, isn't it? I was right to trust your story. You really are the Raikou Rider in the legend. I wanna climb up there with you, Josh! Can I?"

Unable to resist the girl's request, Josh approved of it. A confused Legend of Thunder wondered why he would do something like that.

"Josh, what is the meaning of this?" Raikou questioned. "I did not know that someone else was involved here. So why are you letting her onto my back?"

"Raikou, she's harmless, and she's wanted to do this for some time. Just let it go."

"She'll get her chance, just not now. Now would you tell her to go away?"

"Oh...come on, Raikou, just for a short distance, even? It's not like she'll be replacing me or something. She just wants the experience."

Raikou didn't like it, but the Beast gave in to Josh's request. "...All right, Josh. Very well. But not for very long, and this idea of letting ordinary people go for a joyride better not become habit."

"Thank you so much, Raikou. I appreciate it." Turning back to Shalin, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"You bet." The rider helped Shalin get on the Legend of Thunder, but they didn't go anywhere. "When will we take off?" she asked.

"Shortly," Josh whispered. He began to speak to Ace and Aravan aloud. "Shalin wants to ride with me. We won't be long. Wait for us in the computer lab. That's where I'll tell you about why I was gone."

After the two of them started to walk off, Josh asked Shalin, "Ready?"

"Of course! Let's get going!"

At that, Raikou started running at a brisk pace. Josh had Raikou run around the edge of campus, turning when he passed the computer lab. He gradually sped the Beast up as they rounded the edge of the property. Shalin didn't make any loud noises; she was just giggling much of the time Raikou was speeding up. It got as fast as eighty miles per hour before slowing to a stop in front of the lab building. "So, Shalin," Josh began, "how was it?"

Shalin was still giggling from riding a legendary Beast. "It was great. I'm even more jealous of you now, Josh!" With that, she started giggling louder for a few seconds. Josh laughed with her as they entered the lab. Ace and Aravan were waiting in the main foyer. "Follow us," they said. Making their way to an unused lab on the second floor, they started the discussion.

"Before we start talking," Aravan suggested, "we should have someone make a copy of what we say."

"Aravan, that's an excellent idea," Josh noted. "I'm a fast typer, so I will record the conversation. I'll be at a computer close to that table in back. Let's go over there." The four of them slowly walked to the back of the room. Ace, Aravan, and Shalin sat on the side of the table farther from Josh; that way, they would face him and his workstation. Josh logged into the network and pulled up a text editor. The conversation began.

Cue Music: "The Debate" (Legend of Dragoon)
Author's Note: If you want this music, PM me with your e-mail and I will give it to you.

"We have all the time we need," Josh began. "The purpose of this discussion is to discuss my conversation with Ho-oh before sunrise this morning."

"That explains everything," Ace responded almost immediately. "Now I understand why I couldn't find you on campus this morning. You were gone. How did you manage to sneak out?"

Josh thought about the question as he continued typing. "Well, I was quiet as a Whismur. I made barely any noise in sneaking out of the building. Besides, there was no one prowling the hallways that evening. So after I got out, I had Pidgeot fly me to the top of Tin Tower, where Ho-oh was surprised to see me at such an hour."

"Did Ho-oh give you Raikou?" Shalin asked. "Gee, that rhymes..." Everyone chuckled at her observation.

"Yes, it did."

"Why would it just do that for no reason?" she asked him again.

The keyboard tapping continued. "There was a reason. I explained all the events with Donovan yesterday, and it talked about the growth of an alleged 'dark power' behind a 'seal'. I compared it with the words and actions of Donovan, and found clues pointing towards a connection."

All three of them dropped their jaws. Ace could only utter the word "How?" and nothing more. It was a shocker to everyone there. No one thought Donovan would do something as rash as this.

"I felt exactly the same way when I thought of it. And what Raikou and I reasoned together was even more of a shocker. Just as the power of Lightning called out to me, the power of Darkness will call out to him. How this will happen or play out, I do not know."

"Dammit," Aravan blurted out, "I knew something wasn't right about him that was more than just bullying."

"I believe that his actions extend far beyond the scope of mere bullying," Josh added. "This brings me to my next point. When Ho-oh talked about this 'dark power', it also told me about the other side of the legend...and three new Beasts."

Shalin sat still after hearing this radical idea. She was hiding something. Aravan yelled, "How long have you been hiding this, Josh?!"

Ace tried to say something. "Josh, that's..."

"As hard as it is to believe," the Raikou Rider resumed, "it's exactly what Ho-oh said. There are three more Beasts previously unknown to man: Midori of Birth, Zoltin of Life, and Akuji of Death."

"WHAT?!" Aravan hollered again.

"Then...Donovan's..." Ace tried to deduce something about Donovan, but was too scared to say anything.

"Precisely, Ace. When he discovers his calling, Donovan will be after the Dark Beast, Akuji. Ho-oh described it as a huge lion similar to Entei, but larger and black almost all over. Possessing traits of pure evil, it could put a veil over the good in the hearts of those close by. What makes Akuji different from the other Beasts is that it's a sprinter. Ace, Aravan, do you remember the race during the day prior to the one when we had to leave our Beasts?"

"Yes, I do," both of them replied.

"Well, remember how fast we went before we had them use Extremespeed? It was...well, really fast, right? Well, Akuji's Extremespeed sprint is twice as fast."

Shalin was quiet, still hiding something. It was clearly of importance, but she kept it secret mainly out of fear. Ace and Aravan were in utter disbelief.

"No. There is no way that anything can run that fast without some help," Aravan argued. "It's just not physiologically possible."

Ace tried to break it up with some sarcasm. "Josh, have you been smoking crack or something?"

"Watch it..." Josh responded threateningly. He paused, then his tone of voice became normal again. "No, Ace, I don't do drugs. I know it's hard to believe that something can run that fast, but that's what Ho-oh told me. On to the others. Zoltin, the Beast of Life, was small. From what I heard, about five feet tall. It didn't run very fast, but it had a remarkable ability that made it incredibly quick. It could jump into the air and fly using the large, white wings on both sides of its body. When it flew, it flapped its wings, as you would expect. However, it used them only to fly higher or faster. It could run through the air without flapping its wings at all, and it could run through the air as fast as Raikou runs on land. Zoltin and Akuji fought a vicious war, so Lugia and Ho-oh sealed them away."

"Wow!" Aravan exclaimed. "A flying Beast?"

"If only it were here. I'd want to ride something like that!" Ace added.

Shalin finally spoke for the first time in nearly fifteen minutes. "What about the last one?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. Midori. She was associated with Raikou, Entei, and Suicune for the longest time, until she was accidentally sealed away with Zoltin and Akuji. She was a Grass-type, larger than Zoltin but smaller than Raikou. She had dark green fur that could secrete a powerful toxin if it became necessary. Her tail had a spiked club on the edge for bashing enemies. Much like Raikou carries thunderclouds, Midori carried vines on her back to hit her foes hard. She was a very gentle and shy Beast. She would run away from most humans at first sight, but would approach humans that she deciphered to be harmless to her."

All of a sudden, Shalin's pupils became somewhat dilated, and she fell sideways. Josh jumped out of his seat and rushed toward her. "Shalin! Are you all right?!" he asked out of grave concern."

Ace checked her pulse. "Her pulse and vital signs are all functioning properly. She'll be fine when she wakes up. She isn't physically unconscious. I think she has lost mental consciousness. Something about describing Midori might have caused this. There's nothing we can do now except wait."

The other two Beast Riders signed into nearby workstations and entertained themselves for the next forty minutes. After that, Shalin woke up. Her eyes had been opened to the truth after hearing Midori's name. She had been receiving a vision.

Shalin asked for everyone's attention. "Guys, I remember everything now." Her tone of voice had changed dramatically from before. She now sounded more like an adult than a child.

"Remember what?" Josh asked.

"Who I am, and what I'm supposed to be. When I passed out, I had this vision. A creature that looked just like Midori was speaking to me. She said that I was bound to be her wielder for the rest of my life."

"Huh?! What else did you see?" Josh demanded.

"She said some other stuff to me that made absolutely no sense at all, then she left. That's what happened just now. I now know what I need to do. Josh, take me to Ho-oh. From there, everything will be clear. Just take me there."

Josh logged out of the computer. "Later today. I'm going to take a nap. I'm tired."

"Fine. Late this afternoon, you must take me to Ho-oh."

"All right, already, Shalin! Let me print this stuff out, then we can leave!" Josh entered commands into the computer that would send the documented conversation to the printer for pickup. After the printer stopped printing pages, the Raikou Rider walked to the other side of the room, where the printer was. He picked up the short stack of pages, folded them, and placed them in his pocket.

Josh rushed out of the building, mounted Raikou, and sped back to his room. He knew that the quicker he got back to sleep, the earlier he would wake up, and consequently, the earlier he would be able to take Shalin to Ho-oh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until I can post attachments, you will have to PM me for music.

 

[Chibi Pika]

About time? You're practically the fastest writer I know! Okay, anyways, this is definitely getting good now, I had a feeling she'd be associated with either Zoltin or Midori. One thing though, I don't think you should have just gone out with that she was hiding something, I believe a more subtle approach, describing a slight nervousness and in deep thought would have gotten it across better. Other than that, great!

~Chibi~;249;

 

[Flaming Lip]

Nice. The thing with the girl was predictible though. Well this fic has my attencion. Keep it up.

Flaming Lip

 

[Draconic Mage]

Ace tried to break it up with some sarcasm. "Josh, have you been smoking crack or something?"

"Watch it..." Josh responded threateningly. He paused, then his tone of voice became normal again. "No, Aravan, I don't do drugs.

Heh...

Anyway, nice chapter. Most of your chapters are good.

To post attachments, you need to join one of the 'groups'. To do it, go to user>Miscellaneous>Group Memberships, then just 'join' any one of the groups.

 

[billy5772]

I liked this chapter too. There were almost no mistakes. Sometimes you got a little repetitive with things like "After the printer stopped printing pages" but that's not really a mistake.

One thing that could've been worded a little better, IMO, was this line:

Going out on Raikou for the first time in months evoked some memorable flashbacks in Josh's memory,

Like, "Going out on Raikou for the first time in months evoked some memorable flashbacks in Josh's mind."

Or, "Going out on Raikou for the first time in months evoked some euophoric flashbacks ('cause flashbacks are inherently 'memorable') in Josh's mind."

I don't know.

As far as events are concerned, pretty good chapter. But, remember in the last one when you got a little bit of heat for making your characters so robotic? By the end of your first one, they were a little more laid-back and that was a pretty welcome change although it was kinda awkward when compared to how they'd been the rest of the fic. But now, the foundation has been laid for them to be a little more down-to-earth and that aspect of their character development would be something nice to carry over to this fic.

I knew Shalin was somethin' special. I think that there's a lot of potential in this new character. I could really picture her waking up with the more mature voice and speeking of legends and everything too. If you've ever seen Digimon (just alienated everyone reading this review) season one, you probably remember the episode where wargreymon and metal garurumon were fighting and then, to stop it, Kari passed out and was taken over by some entity. Her voice turned very mature and that scene in your fic was kinda reminiscent of that. *Snaps back into the realization that he's the only Digimon fan*

Anyway, pretty good chapter. A few problems with some of the syntax and word choice but the events in this chapter acted as a sufficient counter to some of this. The next chapter should be better though, as I have a feeling there'll be some action!

 

[~RaikouRider243~]

RaikouRider243 to Chibi Pika: Shalin wasn't nervous about anything, but she was in deep thought. She had never heard of Midori before; however, something about the description seemed familiar to her. That's why she was silent for so long. She had been associated with Midori from childhood, but she didn't know it until this chapter.

RaikouRider243 to Draconic Mage: I changed my mind about who would joke at Josh, and forgot to change the character both times. It's fixed now.

RaikouRider243 to Billy5772: Writing that first fic was a learning process for me. I didn't intend for that sudden shift in character in chapter 8 of The Johto Saga. Now that I have experience with writing, that shift in character should have no problem transitioning to this fic.

And that Digimon episode you mentioned...I remember that scene well. I never thought about it when I wrote the end of this chapter, but when I think about it now, it is very similar. However, this will be a more permanent transition for her character. I have a lot of development to go with her. She will get a lot of spotlight in the next chapter or two.