(Hey guys, well, nobody really responded to my last post, so I'm going to take things into my own hands… J)
The absol opened his eyes, which was unexpected seeing as how he was dead. He was surrounded in white, and could see nothing, just the whiteness going on forever. Ok, now I'm sure I'm dead. He thought. Not that he was overly sad that he was dead, at least the pain was gone.
"Hello" a deep voice said behind him, startling him.
The absol turned around to see a giant snorlax watching him. The absol managed to stammer "W-who are you?"
The snorlax smiled," My name is Manchu. I suppose you are wondering where you are."
The absol smiled and said," Yes, this is all kind of confusing. I'm Silver by the way."
Manchu cleared his throat and calmly said," Well, this is the entrance to death, the way that all pokemon must go to reach a final resting place. Most pokemon just pass through this place, but others find the passing difficult, and remain here watching the world."
As the snorlax said this, Silver looked around and saw images surrounding them of things going on in the world. There were some images of peaceful villages or bustling cities. Other images were more concerning, pokemon fighting and killing, suffering and other things that made Silver sad.
As Silver watched these things, he became confused. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, then said," Manchu, you said that pokemon sometimes find passing through here difficult. Why?"
Manchu smiled sadly and replied," Because they have unfinished business, and cannot pass on without peace of mind. For me, it is because of this war, and my part in it. I was a leader of the Alpha Alliance. But I was unable to protect what I loved and I failed. I cannot pass on without knowing what will happen to my friends, my followers."
Silver thought about this for a while. "Why am I here then? I don't have anything I really wanted in life, so why am I here?"
Manchu smiled and said," Because you have a choice set before you. A decision that only you can make. You can either stay here and pass on, or return to life and help to protect the region."
Silver was shocked. I can go back to life? But how can I do anything against an entire army. Well, Manchu thinks that I must be able to influence the balance of the scales in this war, so I suppose I must.
"Just tell me how I get back, and I will help your friends", Silver said.
"I cannot tell you how to get back, you must decide this for yourself", Manchu calmly stated.
As Manchu said this, all of the images disappeared, and two paths appeared. The first path led down into a valley that was lush and full of life. It was green and a river ran through the valley. The second path was dark, rocky and sloped very steeply upward leading to a tall mountain.
Silver was split. He could not decide which one led to life. He walked to the edge of the lush green path, and thought about where the path might lead. Death would be the easy path, and it would be a lot nicer than life at the moment. So this must be the path that leads to death.
Then he walked over to the dark steep path and stared down it. The path to life will be hard, and it may look impossible, but it is what I must do. Silver turned back to Manchu and said," I know what my choice is."
Manchu smiled and said," You have chosen wisely Silver. I can guarantee that the path of life will not be easy, but it will be rewarded if you make the right decisions and don't give up. But may I ask you one thing? If you see a zangoose named Kent Reed, would you tell him not to mourn me?"
Silver smiled and said," I will." Then Silver turned his back to the snorlax and started to walk up the path. "I will never forget you," Silver said softly. Silver struggled onward, but the pain increased with every step. Only a small amount at first, but the pain grew until it was almost unbearable. Silver squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the pain, and when he opened them again, the path was gone, and he was looking at the blades of grass dancing in the wind just inches from his face. I am back.
Somehow, Silver found the strength to stand and hobbled forward, just hoping he was going in the right direction. Onward he struggled, keeping his mind on Manchu, and he somehow found the strength to continue onward. But he could only go on for so long. Eventually, he tripped and fell to the ground.
Not this again! I can't give up now! But no matter how much he struggled, he could not get back to his feet. In a last ditch effort, he howled with all his might, just hoping that someone would hear.
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Manchu smiled as the path that the absol took disappeared from his view. He stood there, studying the images in the sky once more. He stood there for several moments, and then smiled. He'll do fine He thought to himself seeing one of the images.
He walked, no particular direction in mind, just walking. He had the feeling that he would be walking for a long time…
(Well, kind of long, but nothing wrong with that, right?)
EDIT: (Sorry, I was under the impression that Manchu was a leader of Gold Tribe, but thats fixed now, thanks for telling me Supervegata! :) )