Pok?mon Origins: Return of the Beasts

[RaikouRider243]

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

Pok?mon Origins: The Johto Saga
Volume II --- Return of the Beasts

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Prologue

Seven hundred years ago, in the Johto region, man had discovered the abilities and usefulness of Pok?mon. Man and Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon. 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon. The speed of these Pok?mon 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' Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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.

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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 Pok?mon.

"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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon, 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 Pok?mon, 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon. She doesn't mind battling, but she doesn't like it either. However, cute as they may be, her Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon, he battles to demonstrate his power. He prefers to wield Dark-type Pok?mon 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 **** lie, I tell you! A **** 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 Pok?mon battle. Us versus you. Three of your Pok?mon 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.

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[Feraligatr master]

cool i just looked at the first one it was cool
i hope this one is gunna be better than the first
post the next chapter please i can't wait

 

[RaikouRider243]

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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 Pok?mon, then sends battle information back to the receiving unit in my left hand. Manectric, you're up!" Josh released Manectric from its Pok? Ball. The Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon'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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon launched a close-range electric shot toward Magmar. Donovan's Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon attacked with its Crab Hammer. Both attacks missed. The battle was going nowhere, until...

"Typhlosion, use the secret weapon!" At that, Ace's Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon through any more pain. The match is over."

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

Aravan used Flygon against the bull Pok?mon. This battle was very fast as well. With no way to jump, Donovan's Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon. 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 Pok?mon?"

He didn't know where to start. "It's an experience unlike any other, that's for certain. I miss everything about Raikou. Legendary Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon. 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 Pok?mon, 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok? Ball. The Pok?mon 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.

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

 

[Alana]

I can see this fic is going ot be as good, if not better than the last one. Like your first fan fiction I didn't see any grammer or spelling mistakes. I don't like Donovan. I don't know who would. I hope Josh, Ace, adn Aravan take him out again. But I feel sorry for his Pokemon. I can't wait until Raikou, Suicune, and Entei return. Keep writing adn post the next chapter soon. I'll be here waiting. *Gets out a book and bag of chips then sits in a corner and waits for the next chapter.*

 

[RaikouRider243]

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 Pok?mon, 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 Pok?mon. 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 Pok? 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 Pok?mon. 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Alana]

New Pokemon. I think they look cool. Great job. Spelling and grammer, well I dunno why I keep bothering to say there were no mistakes that I could see. ^_^ I can't wait for the next chapter. The chosen girl, I think I know who it is. She doesn't seem to be the right type for a Beast Rider but I don't know much about her yet. I'll wait and see before I judge. Please post the next chapter soon.

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 4: Class Reunion

Going out on Raikou for the first time in months evoked some euphoric flashbacks in Josh's mind, 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 Pok?mon. 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 Pok?mon 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 Pok?mon 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)

"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 a little bit 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 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.

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

 

[Alana]

Sorry the reply took so long. I thought it'd be Shalin. Well that's pretty cool. Hmm five beaast riders and one beast left riderless. Well maybe Zoltin will get a rider later in the fic. I'll wait and see. I like the name you chose for the grass legend. Midori, green. It suits her. Now I wait for the next chapter. Wake Josh up quickly ok. ^_^

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 5 --- Completing the Circle

Josh woke from his long nap about an hour and a half before sunset. Looking outside his dorm window, he saw Ace and Aravan participating in a Pok?mon battle, with Shalin watching the two of them. He changed into a knock-around attire before leaving the building. Outside, Josh woke Raikou up. "Is it time to go, Josh?" the Beast asked him.

"Yes. Can Shalin ride with me again to our destination?"

"Josh, you did not listen to me this morning. This is starting to become a habit."

"It isn't a joyride this time, Raikou. We have business! Shalin needs to get to Tin Tower, just as I promised her."

Raikou was clearly disgusted at Josh's treatment of Shalin. "Only because we're on a mission for her. She acted like a little girl the last time. She thought I was a friendly, happy Beast that she could ride like a horse. It's time for her to realize that not everything in this world is childish."

"Shalin's changed since this morning. She's a lot more mature now."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Josh, let's get out of here." Without a command from Josh, Raikou rushed across the campus to where his rider's friends were playing.

"It's time to go," the rider told them. The two trainers recalled their Jolteon and Ponyta, then sent out Flygon and Arcanine. They mounted their Pok?mon, ready to go. Shalin slowly walked over to Raikou. Josh helped her onto the Beast's back as Ace and Aravan set off for Tin Tower, to the east. Raikou followed behind them.

========================

Raikou and Arcanine had to run up the spiraling walkway that led to the top of the tower. Flygon simply landed at the top of the tower, as Aravan waited for the others to arrive. A few minutes later, Raikou surfaced to the peak of the tower, with Arcanine following close by. All four of them remained atop their Pok?mon as Ho-oh began to speak.

Cue Music: "The Debate" - Legend of Dragoon

"So it is this young girl that is destined to wield the powers of Midori?"

Shalin spoke up. "Yes, Ho-oh. I am Shalin, the one you speak of. Where is Midori now, so that we can meet each other?"

"Sealed away at the Royal Capital Kadessa, which is at the heart of the Forbidden Land. You know that there is a large mountain range all on the northern edge of the region, right?"

"Yes," she replied.

"There is a vast desert on the other side of the range. Back before the powers of Pok?mon went unchecked, there was a metropolis in the middle of that desert. They were an incredibly advanced society; they were so advanced that they became the social, economic, and military center of the world. When they got their hands on Akuji, the rulers there became tyrants, killing thousands of innocent people. A number of victims were pitted against Akuji and other strong Pok?mon in a colosseum. The Pok?mon always won the battle, as the human had to fight with his bare hands. After Akuji destroyed a number of enemies, Zoltin swooped down on the capital city, and that's where the fight between Zoltin and Akuji started. By the time Lugia and I sealed them, and unfortunately Midori as well, much of the city was demolished, and the population wiped out. As time passed, the ruins of the city sunk into the sands. Now, in the Forbidden Land, there is a terrible heat. Most Pok?mon cannot cross the desert to reach Kadessa."

"So it is true then," Aravan started. "Shalin really will become a Beast Rider, just like us."

"To cross the Forbidden Land, you will need Entei and Suicune to assist you. I told Josh not to tell you this, but I have given him Raikou on a more permanent basis. The same will apply to you two, but with Entei and Suicune. You are free to do whatever you want to do with it within reason, on the following condition: you cannot use a Pok? Ball to capture it. That, and the agreement that I can claim them from you again if I see it truly necessary, are your only two restrictions. You can use Entei and Suicune like you do your other Pok?mon. It's totally up to you, within the bounds I have set. Now, Josh, guide them to the Burned Tower. I wish to speak with Shalin privately about Midori."

"All right," Josh said. "I will do as you please. Shalin, you need to get off Raikou. I need it to take me to the Burned Tower, and you need to stay here."

"Okay, Josh. It was another great ride up here!" At that, she jumped off. Raikou and Arcanine ran back the way they came, exiting the tower in Extremespeed. Aravan and Flygon watched them speeding away from the tower for a while before he asked Flygon to take flight and follow them. It spread its wings, then dove from the top of the tower. Levelling out its body, Flygon's wings gained lift as it started to fly toward the ruins.

"Now that we're alone," the rainbow-colored bird resumed, "I want to discuss this meeting up with Midori that will take place. You must realize that this could be very dangerous. If you are willing to face these risks, I will give you a ride to Kadessa once Josh, Ace, and Aravan get back here."

"I'm not afraid of this. I want to meet Midori. I want to see her with my own eyes," Shalin confirmed. Ho-oh lowered its neck.

"Climb up here and slide down my neck. I'll fly you down to the foot of the tower." She slowly climbed atop Ho-oh, and slid down its neck. The two-story rainbow bird took flight from the top of the tower, making a slow, circling descent to the ground. The moving air blew Shalin's fine hair around. They flew around the area for some time, planning to continue until the others returned.

Cut Music

============================

Meanwhile, Josh and Ace entered the tower before Aravan made it. Making their way to the basement, they saw that Entei and Suicune were waiting for them down there. Ace ran up to Entei and tried to put his arms around the Legend of Fire. "Entei! I missed you!" Seeing Ace try to hug the huge, crimson lion brought out joyful tears in Josh's eyes.

"I missed you too," the Beast responded. "We all missed you. Where's Aravan?"

"Still on his way here." Right when he said that, Aravan entered the chamber. Suicune's crystal started glowing a bright blue. The big, sky-blue cheetah knew Aravan couldn't wait to ride once more.

"Aravan, it's great to see you again. We all missed you." Knowing the reunion party would not last long, Josh went back upstairs and remounted Raikou. He was ready to go. After a short few minutes, the three of them, all astride their Beasts, assembled outside the ruins. Ho-oh, carrying Shalin between its huge wings, landed right next to them.

"I see you are ready. Let's go." Ho-oh led the way as the Beasts followed the mountain path to the other side of the range, where the Forbidden Land was located. There was a large increase in temperature after the first half-mile into the desert. Conserving their Beasts' energy for the whole trip, they slowed down to just over 120 miles per hour, a running speed they weren't used to for swift travel. Flying high gave Ho-oh the ability to keep up with the Beasts. After a long trip through the desert heat, the Beast Riders came to the ruins of Kadessa as Ho-oh descended to a low altitude.

"Let me take care of this. Shalin, hold on tight." The legendary bird shot a Sacred Fire spray at the door, causing it to slide to the left. Inside was the main worship temple that the inhabitants of Kadessa used to pay tribute to their gods, reincarnated as legendary Pok?mon. The large bricks used to build it had corroded little over the centuries, but the mysterious place still looked ancient. The place was so large that Ho-oh could walk inside.

Cue Music: "Royal Capital Kadessa"

"We're looking for a large room with three sealed doors. Behind each one is one of the legendary Pok?mon we sealed away long ago. We go for the one on the left. The innocent Beast of Birth, Midori, is behind there. Watch where you step. This place is riddled with traps to prevent people from doing too much exploring. If a tile seems out of place, do not step on it. We cannot afford any risks."

There were indeed many loose tiles in the narrow passageways. The four friends looked down at their feet when they stepped. Slowly, but steadily, they crossed the series of narrow hallways, and emerged in the main chamber. Ho-oh and Shalin advanced toward the sealed chamber on the left. On the sealed door was a carving in the shape of a leaf. "Stand close to me," Ho-oh asked Shalin. She stood just in front of the bird's blue legs. It filled the outline of the leaf with amazingly precise bursts of Sacred Fire. The sealed door slowly slid to the left, revealing a black vortex. Out of the vortex jumped a large, dark green Beast at blinding speed. The Grass-type creature rushed out of the chamber, accidentally tackling Shalin in the process.

"Shalin!!" Ace yelled for his friend. Without Aravan even asking, Suicune shot a refreshing blue beam at Shalin. Josh knew it was Midori that tackled her.

"Oops! I didn't mean to do that to you, Shalin!" the beautiful, green creature said as her new wielder recovered from the hit.

"Midori, I am Shalin. Ho-oh said that I would wield your powers to save Johto from a new crisis. Shall we join forces?"

"I have been waiting for you for a long time, Shalin. But first, we need to take care of some preparations, alone. Hop on my back."

Shalin mounted Midori. Josh flattered the new Beast Rider, saying that the two of them looked great together. The Beast wrapped its vines around its body and the upper part of Shalin's legs. This way, there was no way Shalin could fall off. "Ready?"

Midori backed up a few feet, then waited for the signal. "Let's do it!" Shalin yelled. The rider suddenly tightened her clutch on Midori, causing the Beast to race across the chamber and into the dark vortex, which acted as a portal. After Beast and rider passed through, the vortex closed. All that the other Beast Riders could do was wait.

Cut Music

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

 

[Alana]

Another awesome chapter. ^_^ Please post the next chapter. I can't wait to read it.

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 6 --- Shalin's Growth

The dark vortex Midori rushed through was actually a portal to a jungle in a distant land. "This jungle was where I was born and raised. I want to show you my friends...but they are probably all too scared to come out because you are riding on my back," Midori told her rider.

Shalin understood why. "I know. Anyhow, why did you take me here?"

"Good question. We came here to get you some experience, as well as the Weapon of my power."

"A sword?"

"No, not a sword. You'll see. Just hold on, and don't yell. I want to test your ability to handle speed. I'm going to run around this jungle for a while, going faster and faster. After I run fast enough, I'll let you control me for a while. Being able to handle and control speed is one of the basic abilities a Beast Rider must have. Before we leave this place, you must be able to ride at full speed and gain control over me. Then, we'll get what we came here for and go."

Without even giving Shalin a chance to respond, Midori started running. The hardest part of the test wasn't riding at full speed; it was keeping calm while the swift Beast weaved around the many trees in the area. As she raced through the jungle, Shalin's heart was pounding in fear. What if Midori's grip on her rider became loose by mistake? What if Midori accidentally poisoned her rider? "I have to trust her," Shalin reasoned with herself. "So far, she has been trustworthy, and seems to like me. She'd never do those horrible things to me."

Every time Midori weaved around a tree, Shalin felt a strong push from the Beast's body. That push got stronger the faster her Beast ran. As time passed and Midori got faster, Shalin's heart beat harder and faster. When the Beast had reached 180 miles per hour, it stopped speeding up. The scenery was so blurred from the speed that Shalin shut her eyes and put her complete trust in Midori. The Beast jumped through a large circle created by two thin, tall trees. That was the end of the rainforest.

"It's fine now, Shalin," her Beast comforted her. "You can open your eyes now."
She slowly raised her eyelids, noticing they were in an open field with a mountain in the distance. However, that mountain was not their destination.

"It was silly to think I wouldn't make it out for a second," Shalin mumbled.

"I'm going to let you control me now. You probably already figured out how to make me run faster or slower from before we jumped into that portal. To change direction, lean your body in the direction you want to go. If you need me to do anything else, say so. Have fun with this while you can, because once we get out of here, it's not all fun and games."

Shalin tried doing everything she could think of. With the vast amount of open real estate to work with, she got used to turning Midori in various directions by having it run in figure-eight patterns of varying curvature. She giggled in her excitement several times while riding. She knew she could control Midori. This was more of a "fun and games" time for her, in Midori's words.

After about a dozen different figure-eights, Shalin turned Midori back toward the mountain quite sharply. The push on her right leg from the acute turn was almost painful. The last preliminary test for Shalin had begun. The green-spotted cheetah accelerated to its top speed of 180 miles per hour, then made a huge leap into the air. The rider knew she didn't have to worry about falling off. Instead, she was being tested for motion sickness. The green Beast leaped up to a peak height of almost forty feet before landing on the ground. When it jumped, Shalin's legs stretched out more than she was comfortable with. Upon landing, the force of the impact with the ground irritated her rear end for a short time. Midori jumped around like this several times, covering an amazing amount of distance with each leap.

There was another wooded area on the other side of the vast field, this one smaller. However, there seemed to be a straight path edged through the rainforest, which was extremely unusual. There was a brick building in the distance, covered in foliage. Midori revealed to Shalin, "Congratulations. That's half the test. The other half begins here." Shalin was silent as her Beast ran toward the building. Slowing down as they reached the structure, Midori noticed some of her young friends come out of hiding. They looked hostile. She began to reason with them.

"Friends, this is a human friend of mine. She's different than the others. Ever since our ancestor was sealed away because of humans, we were taught that humans are evil creatures, incapable of doing any good. But this girl is different. She has a heart for me. She brought her human friends, and together, they unsealed the entrance to the portal. When I jumped through the gate, I noticed that the other two doors were still locked tightly. I have learned that some humans can be trusted. Please, friends. Let Shalin and I go in."

The young Midori look-alikes contemplated with each other for ten minutes before deciding to let Shalin pass. Midori powered up, then shot, a massive beam of solar energy from its relatively small mouth. The tough vines blocking the entryway were cut by the beam, and fell to the ground. On the other side of the entrance was a large room. A skylight shed light on what appeared to be a rare type of plant. Shalin guided Midori closer for further examination. Upon taking a closer look, Shalin saw what appeared to be a large, red, hardened flower bud with green thorns below.

"Shalin, get off my back and pull on that plant very hard," Midori commanded her rider. Shalin jumped off, then walked up to the red bud and pulled on it. As she pulled harder and longer, the plant started to loosen from the ground. Making a last effort to pull it out of the ground, she gripped the red bud tightly, then jumped backwards, yanking the object out of the ground. The amount of force she used to pull it out of the ground caused her to fall on her back. Her upper back landed on the stone floor surrounding the small garden, while her lower body landed on the soft grass.

Upon close examination of the uprooted object, Shalin realized that there were no root remains anywhere on the plant. Midori explained everything.

"Shalin, are you confused? Let me explain. You are a Beast Rider, just like the three of the legend you know of. The plant you pulled from the ground here is actually the Midori Rider's weapon, the Rose Whip. It is a hidden treasure that was banished with me, when I fought with my rider back in the war. He was the one who created the Rose Whip. In fact, all six of the elemental weapons were created by the first Beast Riders. Dart created the Rose Whip you wield now. He was the first human to develop a relationship with me, though I didn't really like him very much. But you are more of my type of friend. The first Beast Riders were no more than warriors who merely used us to save Johto, and possibly the rest of the world. We really couldn't feel for them emotionally, unlike you.

The other five original Beast Riders were Albert, the creator of the Crimson Blade; Maria, the creator of the Crystal Brand; Drake, the creator of the Lightning Sword; Gary, the creator of the Lightbringer and Draining Shield; and finally, Lloyd, the creator of the Death Mace. They all were valiant fighters, and their weapons were amazingly powerful, possessing the same powers as their Beasts had. The Rose Whip's thorns are extremely toxic. Be careful not to touch them by mistake."

Shalin picked the weapon up with her right hand, remounted Midori, and was about to exit, when a human-shaped, intelligent plant grew up from the grassy area of the chamber. The rider quickly turned Midori around, and noted that the creature looked like it wanted to fight.

Cue Music: "Minor Boss" - Legend of Dragoon
https://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/LODBossBattle.mid

"Shalin," Midori started, "this is practice. If you just stay on my back, you won't get hurt. Just try to hit it with the Rose Whip. I'll pitch in when I can, but this is supposed to be practice for you. Now, go get him!"

Midori rushed toward the human-shaped creature boasting leaf blades for fingers. The rider just waved the whip at the foe, missing completely. Retaliating, it fired a Leaf Blade at Shalin. The projectile left a minor cut on her left arm. It stung a little and detracted from her focus, but she had received paper cuts more painful than that when she was a senior in high school. Midori chuckled silently, then advised her rider on using the Rose Whip.

"I figure you've never seen anyone use a whip of any sort. I guess I assumed too much about you, then! Try quickly stretching your hand out, then jerking it back even faster. That should...whoa!" Midori's advice was cut off as she jumped out of the way of a ball of toxic waste headed straight for her.

"I'll try that. Let's try this again!" At that, Midori turned around and sped toward what she had identified as the Mandrake. Shalin did exactly as her Beast told her: she jerked her right hand forward, then backward almost immediately. The Rose Whip made a loud snap, hitting the Mandrake in the left arm. The noise of the weapon caused Shalin to flinch. "Wow. Is this thing as powerful as it is loud?" she asked.

"Oh, much more powerful than noisy." Midori charged up solar energy, then fired a searing, white beam toward the Mandrake. It blasted the foe out of the sunlight, but released another Sludge Bomb into the air. Midori's legs were covered in hazardous waste, but Shalin never touched it. It shook off the purple waste as it ran toward the Mandrake once more, enabling Shalin to give it a good beating. She struck the enemy twice in the right shoulder. Sugar-filled water drained out as the entire right arm fell off of the creature. When the arm fell off, the Leaf Blades on the hand were ejected with it. Two of them hit Shalin, both in the upper-left arm. Two more brushed by Midori's soft underside. The Grass-type Beast jumped away from its foe, then reared up, scaring Shalin.

"Aghh...this one's rougher than I thought. But he's almost done for, I can tell. Let's strike him again!" Midori ran up to the now one-armed Mandrake, enabling Shalin to attack with the Rose Whip. Though the attack was successful, it only brushed the left arm and torso. She tried again as Midori jumped backwards. She didn't expect to land another hit, but she did--right in the face of the monster. In addition, it was the edge of the whip that hit the face. The monster fell to the ground, lifeless.

Cut Music

"Congratulations, Shalin. I accept you as a Beast Rider. You learn quickly, I can tell. Do you want to stay here any longer? We can stay here a while, if you want."

"We should get back to Josh and the others as quickly as possible. They might be growing impatient with us. Let's get going!" Listening to her rider's request, Midori took off, gradually accelerating to full speed. Having almost full control over the dark green cheetah made Shalin feel special inside. When the two of them were halfway across the field, she asked Midori, "Do you know how to use Extremespeed?"

"Yes, I do. The impatient one, are we? So you want to go into Extremespeed, do you?"

"Do it."

"All right, Shalin."

Midori started glowing green as Shalin's heartbeat started racing again. The green glow got increasingly intense until Midori released the boost. For the time it was racing close to 225 miles per hour, it looked like a green comet streaking across the ground. It maintained this amazing speed until the first rainforest came into view. At that point, Shalin slowed Midori down considerably. From there, she casually rode through the jungle until she arrived at the now re-opened portal from whence they arrived. Midori made a dramatic leap into the vortex leading back to Kadessa, where Josh, Ace, Aravan, their Beasts, and Ho-oh were waiting for their safe return.

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

 

[outlaw]

I see your putting the fanfic here raikou, this is demimew from serebii, why don't you just post the whole fanfic here? And will you make another one?

 

[RaikouRider243]

The reason why I don't post the whole thing here is to attract other readers that are here that haven't been to SPP.

 

[Alana]

Sorry my reply took so long. ^_^ I like Midori. She's a cool Pokemon. I'd prefer a sword to a whip but it seems to suit Shalin just fine. The story is really beginning to play out so please post the next chapter soon. I'll try to reply sooner if I can.

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 7: The Truth About Donovan

By the time the four Beast Riders exited the Royal Capital, it was dark outside, and the Forbidden Land had turned into a chilly wasteland. Luckily, there was still no howling wind blowing the sand around. It was no more than a long ride back to Ecruteak for the Beast Riders. It was a calm evening, and the moon was almost full. When they had reached the halfway point between Ecruteak and Kadessa, a massive explosion from the ruined city pierced the air. All four riders flinched, but kept their Beasts moving. A bright, green light was shining upward from the center of the ruined city. This was a signal to everyone that Midori was free from the bondage she had been in for centuries. As the Beast Riders got farther from the light, it faded away. Everyone was tired from the expedition that day, especially Josh. He had been up since three in the morning. Impatient to get back to bed, Josh sped Raikou up to its maximum speed, forcing Midori and Suicune to go into Extremespeed to keep up. They made it back to the city quickly. Entering the dorm building on campus, everyone fell into their beds and fell fast asleep quickly.

Meanwhile, well to the east of Ecruteak, Donovan saw the beam of green light emerge from where Shalin had exited atop Midori's back. "What the hell is that?!" he muttered to himself. He watched the light for some time, trying to figure out what it was. After a half-hour longer, the light started to fade. When the light faded to half of its original intensity, another loud explosion sounded, and a dark aura surrounded the Capital. It blacked out the portion of the star-lit sky directly above it.

"Donovan!" a voice sounded in his head. The source of the darkness seemed to be calling him.

"Who the hell is it?!"

"Come here. Follow that signal in the night sky. When you arrive at the source, I will tell you who I am. I hold the power to destroy those whom you hate. Hurry, Donovan. Make sure to arrive before sun-up!"

"Just tell me?! Who are you?!" The voice stopped. "I guess I'll have to follow it. Go, Salamence!" At that, Donovan released from one of his Pok? Balls a fairly short, but large, blue dragon with red wings and four legs. The tall, intimidating trainer had to sit very low to the ground to hop on his dragon's back. He carefully positioned himself astride the Pok?mon before commanding it to take off into the night sky. When the dragon finally started flying, the trainer let his legs relax on the sides of its body. Though powerful, it was never meant for speedy flight, especially with a human on its back. It took the two of them nearly an hour to even get the Royal Capital Kadessa, the source of the darkness, in sight. The ruined city seemed to look vastly transformed after the sun had set. It looked much more dark and mysterious at this point than it was when the Beast Riders had come that afternoon.

"Wow," Donovan said to himself. "An ancient city, right in the middle of the desert. I've read about this sort of thing before."

The voice from earlier started up again. "You must watch where you step the entire way through this place. If anything looks out of place, Donovan, do not touch it. The entire place is rigged with traps to prevent people from getting far. I will guide you if you start to stray."

Upon landing, Donovan kept the advice of the voice in mind. He watched where he stepped for every step of the way. It was exactly the same temple that the Beast Riders had been in that late afternoon. The light inside was extremely dim, impairing Donovan's vision. He recalled Salamence before entering the structure, making sure to avoid any kind of trap possible. By the time Donovan made his way to the central chamber, he knew where the voice had come from. It didn't even have to reveal its location. A flurry of dark waves was creaking through the sealed door on the right. There were many cracks in the stone, making it fragile even with the seal that was placed on it.

"Smash this door. I know you can do it." Donovan sent Salamence out again, and commanded it to use a Double-Edge tackle. It lunged at the door and caused the crack to become larger. Surprisingly, the door still held up.

"Again, Salamence!" Donovan yelled. It rammed at the crack again. This time, the door came tumbling down. Another dark vortex appeared behind the door. This one, however, possessed a suction force from the amazing amount of energy behind the door. It grabbed Salamence and sucked it in immediately. Donovan dove after his Pok?mon into the vortex. The two of them travelled through a twisted, distorted void for a long time. When the path of the vortex stopped twisting around, there was a stone pathway for a floor, but the rest of the area was a warped darkness, enigmatic in appearance. When Donovan finally came to, he found himself staring upward into the void as well as into the blood-red eyes of a huge, black Beast nearly eight feet in stature. It possessed dark violet bracers with ancient writing around each of its legs.

"Donovan, you have finally arrived," the dark creature started.

"Um, could you tell me first of all who you are; second, where we are; and third, what the hell is going on here?"

"I am Akuji, the legendary Beast of Darkness and Death. We are in a hidden location in the depths of the earth. No one knows about this location but you, me, and a select few others. I called out to you because you have a desire to destroy those you hate. Fate has decided to have us join forces. That answered all of your questions."

"So you're a Pok?mon, like Raikou, Entei, and Suicune?"

"Yes."

"And am I destined to become--"

"A Beast Rider, yes. Whether you will or not depends on if you can handle the consequences."

"Finally, those jerks will get a taste of their own medicine! Akuji, what are we waiting for?! Let's go get them!"

The portal to the outside world closed. "Not so fast, Donovan. Though I see you have a desire to become malicious, you have a long way to go." Akuji's dark glow was affecting Donovan's mind and heart. The good that was left in him was fading out. However, Akuji only had the power to dim the good, not exterminate it totally. "But I think I can help you out. I'll tell you how I got to be in this awful place, along with someone else in here who would like to see you. Here is what I remember. I could go on for a while, but I don't want to bore you with unneeded details.

This series of conflicts was much like a prologue to the Great Pok?mon War. Those silly, power-hungry humans figured out that I was incredibly powerful and evil. Those tyrants thought that if they could control me, nothing in the world could stop them. I played along with their games for quite some time with a number of different rulers. It brought out more evil in their hearts, and they became more and more ruthless with each passing day. Unfortunately for them, the first couple of tyrants were overthrown by the proletariat because they didn't fully harness my power. After figuring out what to do to use me more efficiently, they were able to maintain their tyranny for longer periods of time.

Eventually, one of the emperors tried to push me to a high degree of my strength. Figuring out that I had amazing combat skills, the fool tried to ride me into battle, as if I had no choice. I played with it for a while, killing off nearly the entire enemy force. When the battle was won, my rider tried to forcefully turn me around. That was very embarrassing to me, so I threw him off my back and murdered him. The following two emperors were even worse, and I killed them in the same manner. I never chose any of them to even use me in battle, let alone ride on my back and command me like a horse. That was extremely embarrassing, so that's why I killed them. After those two people, the destined one finally accepted my calling...Lloyd."

"Wait. What do I have to do with this?" Donovan asked the black Beast.

"Listen, and you'll find out. Lloyd took over the region north of the Twin Towers where three of our relatives lived. Unlike those other power-hungry fools, Lloyd knew what he was doing. Though he was one of the most sinister men I had ever seen, he used his common sense in maintaining and using power. I knew that I could bring out an amazing power in him, so I met with him. Though he was a powerful ruler, he had no trouble keeping his cool. He was the only man I had ever seen with platinum-colored hair. He had the desire to create a utopia in which only his people would remain. He had heard of me and knew of my power. I decided to seek him out. For the time we were together, we were good friends and powerful allies. I was so enthralled that I let him climb on my back and control me.

After several easy battles, he extracted some evil energy from me to create a one-of-a-kind weapon: the Death Mace. It carried with it the same darkness that I punish my enemies with. He crafted it so that it could build power from my strength, then unleash the power in a massive attack that killed everyone in the radius, period. Nothing could save anyone who was hit with the blast. As a weapon in itself, it was also strong. With that and my powers, the two of us were unstoppable in battle. At one point, however...he, too, went wrong. He knew about my impressive speed, and had ridden on my back at over one hundred miles an hour. There was nothing wrong with that; in fact, it was a great tactic for him to use my speed. Where he went wrong, however, is learning about my true running ability. He tried to push me faster, and I let him. He wished he hadn't. What he didn't know was that I'm a sprinter. I'm sure you've seen Josh's Raikou and how fast it went."

"Yes," Donovan recalled, "I saw Raikou in a race with Entei and Suicune, and those Beast Riders were on them! It seems like so long ago, but it was pretty recent. I didn't like seeing them, but I must admit it was a sight to see them racing, particularly from so close."

"You will easily be able to overtake his Raikou. I'm twice as fast as that Beast."

Donovan stopped for a second, in disbelief at what Akuji told him. "Back up for a minute. Twice as fast as Raikou?"

"Yes. But it's a sprint. I can't run that fast for nearly as long as Raikou runs at its full speed. That yellow Beast can run at its fastest speed for an amazing amount of time. However, does it really matter if I can knock Raikou down? I only need a short distance to catch up to it."

"Incredible. Now I see your story. Continue."

"When I started sprinting around, Lloyd was panicking, hanging on for his life. He managed to hold on for the duration of the entire sprint. How he did it, I don't know. He was the only one to survive my speed, and learned his lesson quickly. We dominated the known world, until those legendary birds came and sealed me to this void...along with Lloyd. He wants to meet with you."

"He's still alive?!"

"The passage of time behind this seal is virtually nonexistant. We need not waste any more time talking about the past. We need to address the present. Donovan, you will carry on Lloyd's legacy. Climb on my back."

"But not even Lloyd could--"

"I promise I won't go that fast. In fact...you've never ridden on a Pok?mon that's really fast, have you?"

"I don't think so. Maybe when I was younger."

"Then I promise I'll go slow at first, but we'll get fast, like during Lloyd's first time riding me. It'll be pretty fast, but not a sprint."

Donovan struggled to climb atop the nearly eight-foot-tall black Legend of Darkness. Akuji noticed the struggle he was going through. In response, it sat down on its hind legs, lowering its huge body closer to the ground. This time, the college senior climbed onto the dark Beast successfully. It stood up and started running toward the back of the chamber, picking up speed as it carried Donovan down the long, dimly lit corridor. Donovan was nervous, but became more calm the longer Akuji ran peacefully.

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

 

[Alana]

And now Donovan has Akuji. It sounds like it would be a cool beast if it wasn't evil. Well even if it's evil it doesn't mean it can't be cool. :P Just a beast I wouldn't like to come in contact with. So Shalin now has Midori and Donovan has Akuji. I'm guessing Donovan will get the Death Mace soon. Well now I must sit and wait for the next chapter.

 

[Super_Lawliet]

This story is amazing. I feel as if I am there, seeing what the characters see, feeling what they feel. Keep it up!

 

[outlaw]

Ya Raikou's Fanfic's can do that to you...

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 8: The Contract

Donovan continued to ride Akuji across the void, getting used to its gait. The ride was about as peaceful as it could possibly be, and Donovan knew it. "Where are you taking me?" the rider asked.

"There is someone you must meet. He is at the very back of this place, and he will explain everything that I have not already told you," Akuji responded. "He is someone very special to me. He will reveal everything to you in due time. Just be patient and I'll take you to him."

The long passage seemed to continue on endlessly. This gave Donovan's eyes the time to adjust to the dark, wavering background that accompanied the hidden area. After a ride of nearly 15 minutes, they finally arrived at the chamber end, where a young man with platinum hair was apparently waiting for them.

Cue Music: "Danger Up Ahead!" - Legend of Dragoon

"I have returned with Donovan, sir," Akuji greeted the man.

"Excellent."

"Who are you?!" Donovan snapped. "You set me up, didn't you?! Well, first of all, identify yourself."

"My name is Lloyd--"

"What's going on here?! You two are definitely setting me up! Akuji told me about a Lloyd that was its only rider before I climbed up there to get here. And the Lloyd Akuji talked about lived over seven hundred years ago!"

At that, Lloyd grabbed a dark mace laying on the ground behind him. "I am he. This mace should be plenty of evidence to prove it."

Donovan was shocked at the sight of the mace, and started yelling. "But how is that possible?! That would make you over seven hundred years old!"

Lloyd chuckled. "Donovan, you are so naive. In this dark void, the passage of time is extremely slow, including our biological clocks that control aging. Though it has been many centuries since Akuji and I roamed the outside world, I have aged but a little during that time."

"What's that mace for?" Donovan inquired.

"It is the Death Mace. I created it mostly with an extraction of Akuji's dark powers. It is an amazing weapon for that reason. When Akuji and I combined our powers into the weapon, anyone who was hit by the blast of darkness was instantly slain. Nothing could save them."

"Why did you use Akuji as a medium of getting me here? If you two were so close to each other, why couldn't you just use Akuji to communicate with me without bringing me here?"

"I needed to see you in person, to see if you are worthy of carrying my legacy into a new generation. You see, I cannot show my face in the upper world again. I would be killed immediately. But by giving people power, they can help me accomplish my life goal: a world where everyone can live peacably, whether in light or in darkness. Back when I ruled much of this region, there was this revolutionary organization that wanted to overthrow my government. I saw no reason to let them do as they wanted; they were merely a group of radicals with no sociopolitical hygiene. So I went to war with them.

I was doing fine until that jerk Zoltin showed up and ruined everything. This swordsman was sitting on its back, too. Just like I did on Akuji. We battled hard and long. I was about to destroy him when those stupid legendary birds had to seal us away here. That was the most frustrating moment of my life."

Donovan questioned the Akuji Rider's idea. "So your plan was to do away with those revolutionaries and create a utopia? Lloyd, people like you have tried creating utopias before, and it has never worked. What makes your idea any different from theirs?"

"With Akuji, I can turn everyone in the region on their dark sides. With everyone living in Akuji's darkness, all the big problems of the world would be solved. There would be no reason for war, for poverty, or anything plaguing the world. I want to see a world transformed by Akuji. And with your help, I can accomplish that. Donovan, will you be my right-hand assistant?" Lloyd asked him.

"I don't want to get into something that I will regret later. Please continue explaining about this place, yourself, your past, and Akuji. Then and only then will I make my decision," Donovan responded.

"All right, very well," he resumed. "I will tell you more about my experiences with Akuji. It's really hard to battle with and ride on, but if you train yourself, not even the other Beasts will be able to stop you. Let me run through all of Akuji's abilities for you. The list is interesting to note. First of all, you notice the sharp horns it has?"

"Yes."

"Akuji can use those to burrow underground and come up above ground again. Because of the way it is shaped and how the horns drill, you can ride on its back while it is digging underground, though it is quite slow down there. Secondly, it has psychic ability that I discovered recently. When you rode Akuji here, it wasn't running as fast as it could, was it?"

"No, not even close. It told me so."

"I ran into this problem when I was trying to push Akuji to its speed limit. Because Akuji's gait is so rough at high speeds, not to mention that such high speeds are lethal if you fall off its back...well, when I was trying to push Akuji fast, it ran a lot faster than I expected. I was barely hanging on until it slowed down. It's by a sheer miracle that I survived. With the vast amount of time I had after I was sealed with my Beast, I tried reproducing the circumstances...and I figured out how to ride Akuji at those impressive speeds. To do that, you have to put your life in its hands. You see, when Akuji sprinted back and forth, it was holding me up with psychic power. I could still feel its rough gait, and that was an awesome feeling."

"Wow. You think I can control it?" Donovan asked.

"Here's how we will find out. I'm going to see if Akuji really thinks you can handle the true Darkness. First, we will see if you can ride Akuji normally."

"Lloyd," Akuji interrupted, "Donovan has already done that. He handled things perfectly. I was impressed at how quickly he adapted to it."

Lloyd was enthralled to see that he may have found the new Akuji Rider. "Well, then... that was unexpected. Akuji, hold Donovan up, and make sure he doesn't fall off your back and get killed. This is the second part of the test. Akuji's going to take off for the other end of the long hallway. At first, it will be just like how you rode before. After a short time, however, Akuji's going to start sprinting faster than anything you have ever seen. I can't quantify how fast, but be prepared. It'll slow down, turn around, then come back the other way at an even faster pace. If you can control it both ways, I shall entrust you with Akuji."

"But don't I need that mace, too?"

"That's exactly my point. Akuji will be yours, but not the Death Mace. You'll need to demonstrate a certain level of mastery of the weapon before I let you use it. Donovan, you can start Akuji running when you are ready."

"Akuji," Donovan started, "Will you warn me when you're about to speed up?"

"Donovan, I will tell you well in advance."

"At least that's clear now." Donovan let out a big sigh. He was clearly nervous about the trial, but he knew he had to get it over with. "Akuji, let's get going!" With that, the dark Beast started to run down the passageway. After about a minute of running down the hallway, it was time for the true test to begin.

"Momentarily, I'm going to start sprinting down this corridor. Though I am going to be making an effort to hold you in place atop my back, I can't do it with this alone. Donovan, hold on tight. I will do my best to keep you in place. All right. I'm going to really run now." Immediately, Akuji started using its psychic power not only to hold the rider in place, but to diminish the incredible force that the rider would receive when the sprint began. The Legend of Darkness began one of the sprints it had become well known for. Barreling down the long, straight hallway at 330 miles per hour, Donovan was scared for the first ten seconds of the sprint before he gained control and got used to the rough gait at the blinding speed. Having the Beast under perfect control for the other forty-five seconds, Donovan knew he would pass Lloyd's test and claim Akuji for himself. Quickly arriving at the other end of the long hallway, he turned the Beast around, then had it begin running again. The sprint back was just as thrilling as before for the first part.

"We can do this together. It is time for the moment of truth. Akuji! Extremespeed!!" The Beast started glowing a dark purple color as it increased its already amazing speed by an additional seventy miles per hour. It was the greatest thrill ride Donovan had ever been on, and he had now realized how to best the Beast Riders at their own game. Crossing from one end of the chamber to the other in a scant three minutes took two different Extremespeed sprints from the Beast. Lloyd saw Akuji's dark purple glow and knew Donovan had successfully controlled Akuji's speed.

"Very impressive," he complimented. "I now entrust Akuji to you. You still want the Death Mace, right? Well, I just thought of something. You can go ahead and take it with you, but I'll be tracking your progress from here. I'll make you a deal. If you can defeat even one of the Beast Riders, it's yours. Otherwise, I'll call you back here and take it back. Deal?"

"Deal," Donovan agreed.

"Very good. Be swift, Donovan, and ride the Beast of Darkness at full speed out of here. Remember, you're fighting for world peace and harmony!"

Donovan almost completely ignored Lloyd's last comment, only intent on avenging his defeat the previous afternoon. "Akuji, let's get out of here! Let's speed along! Then you can slow down a while. But no matter what, we gotta sprint out of the exit as fast as you can!

Akuji sped down the hallway just as it did the first time. After its burst of energy expired, it slowed down to 130 miles per hour, recovering its energy. When the exit portal was in sight, Donovan had Akuji enter Extremespeed. It bolted through the rest of the hallway, through the vortex, and out of the Royal Capital Kadessa at 400 miles per hour. The rider had nothing to worry about because the dark creature would keep him from falling off. He was ready to use Akuji to seek out the Beast Riders and take them down, one by one. After he bolted out of the city, a loud explosion caused by Akuji's massive energy release rocked the air. The noise of the blast could be heard from miles away. "Finally, the outside world!" Akuji said. "Donovan, let's go get those Beast Riders!"
~~~~~~~~~

 

[RaikouRider243]

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

Chapter 9: Sabotaged!

By the time Akuji and Donovan bolted out of Kadessa, it was already dawn. The loud explosion caused by Akuji's massive energy release woke the Beast Riders up earlier than normal. They quickly dressed, ate, and rushed out of the building, meeting each other just inside the main entrance.

Cue Music: "Danger Up Ahead!" - Legend of Dragoon

"What the hell was that noise?!" Ace yelled.

The other three Beast Riders were just as confused. "I wish I knew," Shalin responded. They walked outside to look for evidence of the blast, and found the same darkness that Donovan had seen the night before, only this time, it was much more profound. The young rider of Midori reasoned what had happened. "Could Akuji have broken the seal?" she asked.

"Oh dear god," Josh started, "I don't even want to think about that. Don't say that."

Aravan broke the news to Josh. "I hate to say this, but she's probably right. I'm concerned about what happened. Where are our Pok?mon?"

"Behind the building," Ace answered.

"Then we need to quickly ride to the Burned Tower," Aravan said.

"Why?"

"If Akuji is roaming the world, we need to be prepared to fight at any time. As of now, Shalin is the only one who can fight effectively."

"Good point. But I'm worried about that, too," Josh added. "We need to get out of here fast." At that, the four of them hustled to the other side of the building and met Raikou, Entei, Suicune, and Midori.

"Josh, I'm just as concerned as you are," Raikou informed the Beast Riders. "You were right to judge what had happened. We really need to get out of here quickly and to the Burned Tower again."

(Cut Music)

The Raikou Rider was impressed at the bond he shared with his Beast. "You and I are always thinking on the same page when it comes to critical matters." He then turned to Shalin. "There will be little point in you coming along with us. You can't pass into the depths of the Burned Tower, where we need to go."

Shalin was stubborn. "I'm coming anyway! What if something happens and you get hurt or something? Who's gonna be there to protect you?"

"Shalin, you're more than welcome to come. I'm just saying that there isn't really very much of a point to doing so." Josh mounted Raikou, then resumed talking. "If you want to go, then let's go."

The other three riders followed suit, then took off for the northwest, in the direction of the ruined tower. Raikou and the other Beasts ran slower than usual, for it wasn't a crisis. They never exceeded one hundred miles per hour, giving time for the riders to take in their surroundings. When the Beast Riders finally arrived at the tower, they entered the basement and pushed in on the three tiles on the sides of the room. As was the last time, a large trapdoor opened in the center of the altar. The four Beast Riders descended to the underground chamber leading to the elemental Weapons.

"This is far as you can go," Josh said to Shalin. "The three passages are meant only for the riders of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. You will have to stay here until we get back."

"All right, Josh," she responded.

Ace's path was exactly the same as before: a winding, lava-filled passage. "You know what to do with this, Entei."

"Yes. I remember this from that time before. It seemed so long ago." Ace had a short flashback about the first time he came here.

*****************

"Just trust in me, Ace. I will see to it that you are not hurt." Entei put its complete trust in Ace; now it was Ace's turn to trust Entei. It would be like the two of them were one in spirit. "All right. You would not put me in harm's way carelessly. I trust you. Let's go!" the beast's rider responded as they raced off down the lava-filled tunnel. Aravan was watching them until they disappeared down a corner. Entei showed no signs of pain, and saw Ace become less tense.

*****************

"I remember that day so well," he said. "Entei, let's run through here!" The Legend of Fire took off into the lava-stricken passage at a high rate of speed, again unharmed by the lava. Reminiscing about the past the entire way through, Ace was calm and collected, unlike the way he was upon entering the tower.

Josh's path, on the left side, was also exactly the same as the last time: a lightning-stricken passage that only a speeding Raikou using a Spark attack could cross. His mount charged up an electrical sphere, then surrounded itself and Josh with it. The Beast rushed into the lightning-filled chamber at full speed, jumping over many gaps in the floor. This time, however, Josh didn't have to hang on for his life, as was the last time. He could remember exactly what had happened before.

*****************

"How are you going to get me across here?" he asked.

Raikou offered a simple solution. "I can deflect the lightning bolts with a simple Spark attack. Just hold on as I rush across the path."

Josh was surprised at the answer Raikou had to the problem. "OK. I was second-guessing myself for a second about the feasibility of the approach, but I trust you won't electrocute me." He then let out a big sigh. Oh well, here goes nothing, I guess. Raikou! Spark attack!" Raikou and its rider became
surrounded by a sphere of electricity. When the field first appeared, Josh's hair stood on end. But several seconds later, he realized that the electricity was not harming his body. The Legend of Thunder suddenly accelerated to a high speed, nearly throwing Josh into the electricity. His heartbeat jumped dramatically, pounding from the close encounter with death.

"Raikou, don't do something like that!" Josh said as he tightened his clutch on the Beast's back.

"I will not let you fall off, Josh. Just trust in me. Have faith."

The beast had accelerated to nearly one hundred miles per hour by this time. Though everything was going fine for him, Josh could not relax like he did on that open field north of the college campus. There was something in his mind keeping him tensed up. Suddenly, a gap in the floor appeared in front of them. "Raikou, jump it!" Josh yelled. The beast made a low leap into the air, clearing the gap by a large margin.

*****************

The tunnel with Suicune and Aravan, however, was a wee bit different. The flow of water against the direction they wanted to go was nearly twice as fast as the last time. "Aravan." Suicune tried to get his rider's attention.

"Yes, Suicune? What's wrong?"

"This current is much swifter than before. There is no way I can swim across here, and it's also much too swift to try to freeze with my Ice Beam. But there is another way."

"And what would that be?"

"It is something you do not know about me yet. I'm sure you remember the day we raced ahead of Entei and Raikou. It was the day before we left each other."

"Yes. I remember that well. What's your point?"

"I don't need to swim to cross water, nor do I need to freeze the water. I can run on water."

"You what?!"

"You heard me. I can run on water, but I have to run really fast to do so. You know what else, I could swim up a waterfall if I needed to as well. Neat, huh?"

"That's really cool! Suicune, we need to back up a ways to do this," Aravan said. Suicune walked backwards for a few steps, then darted forward and onto the water. Bolting through the straight, narrow chamber at 180 miles per hour, Suicune stepped onto the flowing water. When it ran at that speed across the water, its legs never broke the surface. "This is really cool, Suicune! I never knew!"

It continued to run on the water all the way to the end of the tunnel. "Yes, people have admired me for this ability." Ace and Josh already made it to the end of their paths, and once again saw the Lightning Sword, Crimson Blade, and Crystal Brand in the back of the room, waiting for them. All three swords were glowing in the color of their respective Beast's element.

Cue Music: "Dart's Theme" - Legend of Dragoon

When Josh grabbed the Lightning Sword out of the pedestal on the left, a column of lightning struck around him, just as before. The same coat of yellow, lightweight, lightning-resistant armor materialized around him, as did the same wide sword sheath to accompany the lightning-bolt shape of the blade. Colums of fire and ice-cold water surrounded Ace and Aravan, respectively, as they pulled their swords out. They got coats of lightweight, red and blue armor, according to the element of their respective Beasts. They also received matching sword sheaths.

The transformed Beast Riders held up their blades as Josh's crackled with electricity, Ace's ablaze with Entei's flames, and Aravan's giving off an arctic aura capable of freezing anything.

Cut Music

The three Beast Riders slashed their weapons in opposite directions, unleashing attacks at the side walls as a test to see whether the weapons were working correctly. A few seconds after the test attacks were successful, the blazing flame surrounding Ace's sword faded out, and the color of the blade changed from a bright red to a deep maroon. Aravan's blade changed color from a sky blue to a deep blue-gray. The electricity of Josh's Lightning Sword, however, was not affected.

"Something just happened, and something tells me Akuji is behind it," Josh suggested.

"What's that evil Beast up to now?!" Ace exclaimed. "He has to come in here and jinx our weaponry...what a god**** coward that Beast is!!"

"I don't think Akuji plans on playing a fair game. I don't think it knows what the word 'fair' means. We have to get out of here and tell Shalin the bad news. Let's get out of here." The Beast Riders sheathed their weapons, climbed back atop their Pok?mon, and raced out of the chamber through three straight, narrow, grey paths. Blazing through the chambers at full speed, it took them under three minutes to make it back to Shalin.

"Guys? Is that you in that armor?!"

"Yes, it's us. We don't have time to discuss it now. Something's wrong with the Crimson Blade and the Crystal Brand," Josh informed Shalin. "But we have to make do." We should head back to campus and find out exactly what's going on. Maybe the news channel will tell us something."

Thr four Beast Riders reversed their steps to get out of the Tower, then sped back to campus. On the way back, they encountered a group of three Pok?mon not native to the area: Persian, Scyther, and Ditto. All three of the wild Pok?mon had blood-red eyes, which was extremely unnatural.

Cue Music: "Battle" - Legend of Dragoon

Immediately, Ditto copied Entei's genetic code, transforming itself into a perfect duplicate of the legendary Beast. This would make the battle much more difficult. Scyther made three duplicate images of itself with its Double Team. "Raikou," Josh started, "Hit all of those images with a Thunder attack. That way, we'll be sure to hit it." Massive lightning bolts struck all three of the images in addition to the real Pok?mon. The force of the attack gravely injured the flying mantis. It retreated from the scene.

Persian, the sleek, white cat, sneaked up behind the attacker without as much as making a sound. It jumped at Raikou and Josh. The Beast was able to save its rider in time by raising its hind legs. Josh suffered only a scratch, but Raikou's hind legs were injured significantly in the attack, and crippled its movement slightly for the time being.

Ditto, in the appearance of Entei, rammed into Suicune's side. The contact pinched Aravan's leg between his Beast's body and the transformed Ditto, causing the rider to utter a loud scream of pain. He counter-attacked with a sword slash and a Hydro Pump from Suicune's mouth. The damage blasted Entei's mockery back a long way as the Pok?mon could no longer hold its transformation. It retreated in the same direction as Scyther.

The nimble Persian was the only one left. It rocketed at Aravan and Suicune, claws brandished. Knowing that it would probably attack Aravan's injured leg, Suicune jumped in the direction of the attacking Pok?mon. The blue Beast sailed over Persian and stomped it. It was pinned to the ground and had nowhere to go. Suicune fired a powerful Ice Beam at its target from close range, then jumped out of the way before Aravan's body froze from the attack.

Cut Music

"Well, that was easy," Josh remarked. "But I think we will have a tough battle ahead. Did you note the color of the eyes of those Pok?mon? They were blood-red, even more so than Raikou's." Suicune drenched Aravan in its Cure Water to help ease the pain caused by the wounds of battle. However, it didn't dull the pain completely. When the four Beast Riders resumed their trip to Ecruteak University, Raikou and Suicune held the group from going at full speed. Though Aravan's Beast had bound the wounds of the Legend of Thunder with a dose of Cure Water, it didn't alleviate the wounds caused by Persian's razor-sharp claws. Though their limp was still a speedy eighty miles per hour, it was much slower than Josh wanted to ride.

Cue Music: "Prepare For Battle" - Legend of Dragoon

After the longer-than-expected trip to Ecruteak University, they saw a shady figure mounted atop a clearly black Beast eight feet in stature. As they neared it, Ace identified the rider. "Donovan?!"

"Oh my god!" Josh exclaimed. He knew what was going on. He remembered the words of Ho-oh. Quickly putting his logic together, he identified the Beast as Akuji. Without as much as a word, Josh raced forward on Raikou, ready to have a talk with his nemesis. "What are you doing?!" Shalin hollered. "That is dangerous! Come back here, Josh!!"

When he got within a hundred feet of the evil Beast and its rider, Josh started shouting. "Donovan!! What are you doing on Akuji's back?! That thing is evil and it'll make you evil, too! You don't know what you are doing!"

Donovan turned Akuji around, and for the first time, Josh stared into the frightening face of the Beast of Darkness. However, the black fur, sharp horns, and blood-red eyes did not even phase him. "On the contrary, Josh, this is exactly what I want. It's hopeless to resist fate, and fate states that Akuji and I are to grow together, making a bond of friendship. And that bond of friendship will enable me to exact revenge for that other day when you defeated me! I will not let that happen again! The almighty Beast of Darkness will make sure of that!"

"Donovan, you don't understand. That Beast will turn you evil. Eventually, it's going to toss you aside. Instead of you two being friends and serving each other, you will become a slave to Akuji, and it will merely use you as a pawn. It could kill you now if it wanted to. It could throw you off its back and stomp you into the ground. You have to stop this madness and let Akuji go, now!"

"That's exactly the point of teaming up with Akuji! To stop the madness caused by you and your Beast-riding friends!"

"I guess we'll have to settle things the hard way. Go, Manectric!!" At that, Josh released the Pok? Ball containing the loyal electric-type Pok?mon. Akuji let out an ear-splitting roar. A dark, semi-transparent dome materialized around Josh and Donovan, sealing off his friends. "Josh!!" Ace yelled. "Entei, Josh needs help!" The massive Fire-type slammed its body into the dome, but was blasted back by the evil energy. Entei hit the ground on its side as Ace went flying. "Ace!!" Shalin yelled. She took off on Midori's back to help Ace. Entei's short-term energy was nearly drained from the attack.

As Shalin and Midori ran off to help Ace, the battle between Donovan and Josh was about to start. Donovan, drawing the Death Mace, stayed atop Akuji to assist it in battle.

Cut Music

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