Pokemon: The Dark Ages.

Okay, so here a fan fiction I wrote. I'd appreciate some critique, because I've never posted this one before. It is incomplete, but ill be updating it as i get the time. Anyway, here you go.

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[PROLOGUE]
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"The mystical bells ring once again,
To remind me of the forgotten realm,
When beasts were free and the oceans roared,
and this world wasn't surrounded with such abhor,
Oh lord above, sitting in your hallowed lair,
Rid us of this pestilence stricken air,
Rid us of this light-less age,
Send us a hero, send us a sage."

It was the year 1517. The world of Pokémon was not even distinctly similar to the way it is today. This was an era of kings and queens, of knights and royal courts. It was a time when kingdoms grew and fell, when empires emerged and saw their golden days. Men and women flocked the towns which provided new opportunities during these golden days

Gym leadership was an institution that hadn't even been conceived in the minds of people. Kingdoms dominated leadership and the strength of a kingdom depended upon not just the wit and valor of the king, but his arsenal of Pokémon as well. Yes, Pokémon had a very rigidly defined role back then. We know they are physically stronger than human beings and due to the connection they have with them, they are obedient to their commands. Therefore, those Pokémon who were under the command of the ruler, shaped the fate of his kingdom and ensured his dominance of all creatures that dwelled within his dominion.

But it was a cruel world. Initially, no such kingdoms existed. Pokémon and human beings co-existed in separate villages and towns with their own form of governance. Then the invention of the Pokéball changed everything.

Trainers started emerging. They desired to acquire glory and power insurmountable. They wanted to rule over a vast dominion. Some envisioned the dominance of an entire region. Others, even more ambitious, envisioned world domination. This new found lust for power changed the whole course of world history.

The trainers traveled the region, acquired Pokémon after Pokémon and created an army of their own. They trained so hard and became so strong that they came to be labeled as the first 'Pokémon masters'. These masters initially acquired high positions in their respective village councils but soon set their imperial ambitions into motion. They created an air of distrust towards their fellow village masters amongst their own people. Eventually they even managed to gain the assent of their village-men to acquire these "corrupt villages". They began amassing armies - human and Pokémon, constructing forts and acquiring resources. Thus the notion of imperialism was finally established in the Pokémon world.

So soon, the wars began. The stronger village won and the weaker one was integrated into it. Kingdoms began to be established and officiated. During the earlier days, the capital of a kingdom was attacked by another kingdom and looted, plundered and destroyed till the opponent surrendered. This took place for long. However, there were no killings back then.

However, this lust for power became stronger. With the coming of shipping, the other regions were now accessible. The want for power knew no bounds now. Desperate kingdoms started using desperate measures. They started using Pokémon and their armies to brutally murder the civilians who opposed and the kings who posed a threat. The opposing armies weren't spared at all. The co-existence of human beings and Pokémon, built out of mutual respect and coherence had been converted into a strong divide, with human beings acting as totalitarian subjugators. Human beings had started treating them as slaves. They forced them to battle and train in harsh conditions to the extent where they lost their lives. Such were the conditions of these wonderful beings.

But still, no kingdom had managed to become an empire. Some had managed to acquire a few villages and towns, but none had gone as far as commanding the seas. But then, towards the end of the 15th century all this changed.

The world had not yet seen the dark ages.

Towards the end of the 15th century, a young boy set out into the real world from the budding Pallet Village. He was an enigmatic fellow who had only a single Pokémon with him. Soon he grew stronger as he traveled far and wide, however, he never trained any other Pokémon besides his first. No one knew what this Pokémon was, since no one ever battled him. He trained entirely in the wild, hiding this mysterious beast. He didn't interact with a single human being during this training process. Years passed and he continued to train, from region to region, forest to cave. All this while small kingdoms emerged and battled and finally fell.

5 years later this individual had managed to amass a world wide empire. Every corner of the vast Pokémon world was under his command. No one dared to oppose him and every one kneeled before him. Why? Because the Pokémon he had was none other than Arceus, the original one. He was the trainer of Arceus. How he had acquired the creator, no one knew. All people knew was that in front of a a council of 25 kings, he summoned this very beast and asked each one of them to hand over their empires to him or observe their respective demises. They feared him to such an extent that they didn't dare to oppose him. He was the enigmatic human being, the trainer of Arceus and now, the emperor of the world.

So, this was how the world was sketched in 1517. The rise of the empire had given birth to the dark ages. There was no land left to conquer, but some existing lands were allowed to retain power in exchange of vast resources. A monthly tariff was paid, often draining these lands of resources. The empires agents were present in every single town, watching every activity and arbitrarily confiscating any individual they suspected. The people were forced to train Pokémon. They were lawfully bounded to train these creatures extensively. Once they became stronger, they were taken away by the empires agents, without the trainers consent. These imperial agents were themselves residents of the capital and the reason why they sided the empire was unclear. Every Pokémon had the same fate - once they became stronger they were taken away to the heavily guarded and inaccessible imperial capital and no one knows what happens to them. The trainers could not go against this order. If they did, they were imprisoned and taken to the imperial capital, Castelia City.

However many mysteries surrounded the circumstances - how had this enigmatic person acquire Arceus? What happened to the Pokémon? What happened to the imprisoned trainers? Who precisely were these agents?

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CHAPTER 1: Run Dratini. Run right now.
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The town-dwellers of blackthorn village had awoken to a slight chill in the wind. Winter was fast approaching and autumn was nearing its end. The sun kissed sky glowed profusely, trying to balance out this newfound chill. Carl, an eight-year old child had woken up with a brighter mood than most other days. During such dismal times, even young children had deflated moods and fell victim to the constant chaos in the air, along with virtually every one in the budding village. The reason for his excitement was none other than the fact that his father had bestowed him with a dratini caught in the nearby cave and now it was time to train him for the first time. The blackthorn trainers were ordered to train dratinis by the empire and the agents made sure this order was well followed. Morning, dusk and dawn you could people hunting dratinis and the ever so elusive dragonairs. They were expected to train them to dragonites, the mighty dragon of Kanto and watch the stringent agents take their efforts away before you could say "vermillion".

Carl, after tidying himself and dressing up, took young Dratini to the nearby outskirts (which today constitute route 45) to train. They trained extensively that morning. Carl's father had evolved 4 dragonairs, so he had had the benefit of knowing how to deal with these magnificent creatures. Using tactics he had learned from his dad, Carl defeated a number of Geodudes and Phanphy's before retiring to the side of the path for lunch.

During lunchtime the 8 year old Carl sat down with his new Pokémon.
"You know, my dad tells me to train you so that the agents can take you away. Why do they do that?" Asked young Carl, even though he know Dratini and him could not communicate.

"I already like you so much. I know this world is an evil place, but I don't want you to be its victim" he said, this time appearing a bit saddened by this thought. Dratini reciprocated by lying down on Carl's lap. Carl had spent his childhood saying Pokémon, some of which he adored taken away. He had a tendency to get attached to them. This was perhaps the strongest reason why he didn't feel as happy as he should at his tender age.

"Run Dratini" blurted out Carl."Run, right now".

Dratini simply stared at his trainer. He understood what his said, but the suddenness of the statement had befuddled him a bit.

"Dratini, I know the agents check on every trainer here, but I'm sure they won't say anything to me. I'm only 8" Carl was slightly anxious by now. He was fully aware of the risk he was taking. But he felt strongly for his cause.

Dratini still did not respond. By now the situation had seeped into dratini, but he was unable to make a decision right away.

"Dratini, go and find other free Pokémon. Live with them and never visit any town. Forget this cruel world us humans have created. And never get caught by anyone. Live with stealth, but live free".

Dratini could not speak to him, but the look on his face was unmistakable. He look at him with great respect. Although it was only a day old, a strong bond had been established between the trainer and him.

"We've created a very cruel world Dratini. Go, hide from it" a tear or two unmistakably fell from the young lads eyes.

Dratini slowly began moving and entered the woods. Amongst the bushes he could still see his trainers framework. He stood there, still as a rock, contemplating the event.

Dratini took one last look at his new trainer and to his surprise saw two men in suits of armor suddenly appear from the bushes on the other side.

"Did you think that the outskirts were unguarded? You foolish child!" Shouted one of the agents.

Dratini could not believe what he was seeing. The agents spoke to the boy and then dragged him away. Dratini followed alongside the trail, hidden nicely by the bushes. He was anxious to see where this would lead to.

Dratini had now reached the end of his trail. In front of him the agents were still dragging the young boy. He saw how they took him to a secluded area, surrounded by a relatively lush bush. He could hear the distant talk.

"If you were older, you would be executed at this very moment. But as you're a child, we will imprison you in the capital. Do you understand?" Shouted the more fiercer looking agent.

Was this truly happening? Those were the thoughts going inside dratinis mind. The young serpent simply stared and saw how the boy resisted and yelled.

By now Dratini could not watch the scene any longer. Soon the agents began to search the nearby bushes for the Pokémon. The Pokémon had been documented in the accounts of the agents. So its recovery was a must. Even if dratini were to be found, the attempted escaped would've been enough to imprison young Carl. That's how severe the imperial laws were. That's how redundant, inhuman and illogical they were.

The cruelty of what had happened had disgusted him. But more than that he felt guilty. He felt lonely. He felt angry. He wanted to seek revenge. But for now, he decided to follow his trainers order, for the last time. He went in search of friends. Unfortunately, he barely knew what difficulties and problems were in store for him. Life was not going to be easy.

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