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I am Articuno A lengthy oneshot by Snow Charizard You think Mewtwo’s got problems because he’s got no family? Well, I’ve got problems because I do. At first, our lives were brilliant. Me and my brothers, we were one creature. Us three, we were like Latios and Latias together. We seemed to share the same mind, us three triplets. Despite the fact we were nothing alike. There was the first born son, a mighty titan with flames for feathers and bright, burning eyes and a bravery that made Entei look like a coward. Then the next one was born. Glittering, golden spikes extended from his head. A long, fearsome beak and a cry all Pokemon and humans came to remember. And how noble he was made our parents smile with glee. Then I was born, the only female. I was told I was a stunning beauty, with eyes warm and red and a warm, golden heart despite my cold, blue exterior. My father, the titan of the seas said I took most after him. I could vaguely see what he meant. He swam beneath the surface of the ocean, the force of his mind shaping the waves and currents. It was odd that one with the strength of the mind was considered the guardian of the seas. My mother, she was nothing like me. She was beautiful, but it was apparently a different type of beauty to mine. Her wings carried a rainbow of colours behind them and her soul burned with passion. She controlled flames better than my flame-brother could ever hope to. We don’t know why we didn’t all end up the same Pokemon as her. The world’s a strange place, I suppose. As I said, we lived in harmony. My father and mother cared for us greatly, but they were busy guarding the seas and the humans as well, so we mostly fended for ourselves. Not that we couldn’t manage it, we were very powerful for baby Pokemon. Then again, we weren’t normal Pokemon really. It all began when we began what humans called the ‘teenage years’. As chicks, we were inseparable. Most of the time we were, even in these awkward years of our life. However, we still didn’t have names. Our father said to us; “We have no need for labels, until we are ready to give one to ourselves” Shortly after telling us that, he flew back to his home in the whirlpools of Johto. Mother looked after us for a year afterwards, before she returned to flying across the world, protecting the little humans. Our electric-brother was the first to give himself a name. He named himself ‘Zapdos’ and we celebrated his new name with a feast. The local Pokemon came along, as we had become somewhat like the rulers of them. Zapdos of the ones with energy powers like himself, I of the ones who thrived in the icy cold and controlled the ice and snow and our flame-brother of the one who controlled the powers of fire and heat. It was there everything began to fall apart. My flame-brother fell in love. She was nothing like us. She did not wear feathers, her beak was rounded and the same strange thick hide as the rest of her body. There was a similarity to my brother. She too had a flame on her body, on the tip of her long tail, a flame burned bright. She did have wings, but they were like large bat wings and nothing like ours. She said her name was Molten Dreams and that she was of the Charizard race. She danced an intricate dance around the bonfire, and my flame-brother could barely look away from her. Though her proper name was Molten Dreams, everybody simply called her Dreams, since apparently Molten sounded far too male for her. Then Zapdos hosted the games. Dreams fought in battles and won against all but Zapdos. Zapdos didn’t really want to battle, but Dreams was very competitive and insistent. My brother and I didn’t fight, since it was improper for us to fight without our names. However, as she fought bravely against Zapdos (who was more powerful and strong) I saw my brother loving her more and more and soon his eyes held a look of deep longing in them, where usually only fire and happiness burned. My brother had never longed for anything other than the knowledge of his name before, neither had Zapdos or I. One Dragonair named Harmony decided that there should be a dance for Zapdos’ naming. So my flame-brother lit a bonfire and some of the Pokemon gathered began to dance around the crackling fire. My flame-brother watched Dreams as she leapt and twirled with elegance, spreading her teal-coloured wings out to catch the flames as she leapt over their burning brilliance, her soul only strengthened by the heat. I stayed well away, fire always discomforted me but the way my brother watched her discomforted me more. His orange eyes held yearning, awe and thinly veiled passion as he watched her dance around the flames. Soon he was dancing as well and Zapdos and I looked at him with contempt. It was improper…father and mother would be disappointed in him if they could see the way he danced with all the normal Pokemon. He threw himself around as the music, played by several Pokemon, grew faster and soon his wings were wrapped around Dreams before, in embarrassment, he hurled himself away into the bonfire. He pretended to be trying to make it bigger, hoping that Zapdos and I hadn’t noticed. None of the other Pokemon had, apart from Dreams herself, but his siblings saw the disgrace clearly. We saw it and we closed our eyes. We were torn between love for our brother and the need to keep our family’s dignity. We were protectors, guardians, we could not afford to fraternize with the common below us or we would be distracted from our duty. We decided to speak with him after the festivities, not wanting to spoil the mood. So Zapdos called for another game. This one a flying race for all those who could fly. Dreams eagerly entered and our flame-brother nearly followed her but Zapdos told him that they could race afterwards. Dreams out flew everyone, from the young Pidgey, simply in it to race each other to the bold Dragonite, flying to win. Zapdos by now had noticed the way our brother looked at her and talked to her and spoke of her. He was very disapproving. I was too, of course, but there was nothing we could do about it. Once again, Dreams wanted to face against Zapdos. It wasn’t like she was expecting to win now; it was more like she wanted to prove she could race against somebody she would lose against. That she wasn’t afraid of losing. Ironically enough, she won. Zapdos was so furious, everybody was terrified. Zapdos screamed at her and pelted thunderbolts from the sky at her. I felt a pang of pity for her, curled on the ground screaming and sobbing from a combination of pain and humiliation. I never realised how heartless and angry Zapdos could be. Usually he was so sweet and kind. I suppose he was getting rid of her for our brother. Because he didn’t want him distracted from his duties or was it simply because he didn’t want him to fall in love with somebody like her? As Zapdos gathered the energy for the final strike, my brother threw hot, burning flames onto Zapdos’ body from his wings, his orange eyes sparkling with tears. We were all stunned and suddenly Zapdos and my brother were fighting over Dreams. I could hardly bear it; I sunk to the ground with my wings wrapped about me so I couldn’t see the flames and the electricity, so that all I could hear was bangs and faint pleas for the battle to stop. I was crying hysterically before long and I could feel Pokemon patting me on the back, trying to tell me it would be all right. But my heart was breaking as my two brothers; the people I cared for most in the world fought each other. I thought one of them was going to die. I thought soon I’d hear a dull thump and it would all be over. Then I’d have to face the horror of unfolding my wings about myself and seeing which one had fallen. But then I heard an ear-splitting shriek. It was my flame-brother. I peeked over the edges of my blue feathers to see my brother sprawled out over Dreams, his back red and bloody from the lightning bolt that was aimed at her. Nobody moved. Nobody dared to move. Even Zapdos could only stare as my brother tried to speak, and tried to move away from Dreams, the flames on his wings dull and low. I heard myself whispering for the battle to stop, for Zapdos to leave them be and the words got louder and louder as they both ignored me, now both staring each other down with a strange fire in their eyes. Soon I was screaming at the top of my lungs and they both turned to look at them, bewilderment on their faces. Then Zapdos looked at my brother and spat a single word. A single word that ripped our sibling love apart. “Pathetic.” Pathetic…pathetic…it was aimed for my brother but somehow it hit me like a speeding bullet. While they fought, who could have ended it? I could…while they battled, ready to fight until their last breath left their lungs, who could have ended it? Who could have stopped it all? Who should have stepped in and broke their battle apart? Me. Me. Me. All I did was cry in the corner, not even strong enough to look. Pathetic. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. Zapdos turned away, not looking my brother in the eye. He looked distraught that Zapdos wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t talk to him because of the disgrace he brought. Suddenly, his expression hardened and he looked at Molten Dreams. He walked over and helped her to stand with his beak before he demanded she be healed. Nobody moved. For a minute. Then his demand came back, this time loud and fierce. A Chansey rushed forwards and quickly performed a healing procedure on her broken bones and bloody body. Within the chaos that followed, the awkward conversations between my brother and Dreams and Zapdos’ anger I had managed to slip away. A couple of Dewgong and a Jynx followed me, being my loyal friends but I told them to leave me alone for a little. What would become of us now, I asked myself over and over. No answer came but more and more questions crowded my mind. I thought about Zapdos’ fiery and uncontrolled rage, I thought about the way my brother had turned against Zapdos as he began to unleash his fury on the Charizard…I thought about the way our strong friendship had been broken, as if it was as fragile as a sheet of ice. It was too much. Too much, so fast. I had never believed in love at first sight and even though I watched my brother all evening as he looked at Dreams, I still don’t believe it. Love at first sight seems so superficial. Skin deep. Shallow, anything you’d like to call it. I didn’t like it. Mother and father knew each other for centuries before mother laid our eggs. When I had pulled myself together slightly, I managed to come back to the party. Zapdos stood on a rock, the moonlight reflecting from his golden feathers but my other brother was nowhere in site. Zapdos turned to face me, his eyes full of melancholy. His voice was deep and he sounded…aged. Like a thousand years had passed since the battle, rather than a tiny hour. He told me to follow him back to our home and flew off into the night sky. I glanced around, neither Dreams nor my brother in sight and decided to follow him as we flew to our perch. We lived in a large mountain that was destroyed later but that’s not important. I landed and Zapdos, seeming to read my thoughts, turned around to offer an explanation. “He has left with the Charizard. He has brought disgrace to us and will pay when her short life span runs out and ours stretches on for eternity. He has destroyed our brotherly love and cut ties with you. We have been left with guarding Kanto, on our own.” These words…I’ll never forget them. All these memories have been burnt into my mind for my eternal life. The next few years were terrible but soon things returned to as close to normal as it could be. After a few centuries, I tried to cast my other brother from my mind (as Zapdos had done) but I could never forget him. I could still feel his impacting presence, buzzing like a fly in my ear. This was a trait I never revealed to anybody but my father and he said, quite proudly, that I had inherited a trace of his mind powers. However, I could never use them and the only Pokemon I could ever feel the presence of was my brothers. It was, however, nice to have something of my father’s. Hopefully if I ever have chicks one of them will inherit the powers of mind from me and be able to use them well. One night, a cold winter night, I was awakened by a sharp jolt of pain to my mind. I shrieked and screamed like I had never screamed before and I only stopped when Zapdos had a Butterfree Sleep Powder me back to sleep. My sleep was haunted by hideous, formless nightmares. The next morning, I woke to the sound of yells and saw my brother and Zapdos arguing, my flame-brother perched on the edge of a cliff and Zapdos with his wings spread wide and his eyes ablaze with anger. Molten Dreams had died of old age. My brother had returned in hopes that the past may be forgotten, so that he could raise his eggs with us. “You are a disgrace!” Zapdos’ high-pitched screech echoed through the skies. My brother dropped his head. “A disgrace for falling in love? I doubt it. I’m a disgrace for flying away, for not trying to work things out, my brother…” he said, his head low. Zapdos seemed to burn with fury. “Love, brother!? I shall show you love, my brother!” Zapdos bellowed and then did something unspeakable. He whacked the four eggs near my brother’s wing with his wing and sent them plummeting off the face of the cliff. Zapdos laughed as he paralysed my brother, just as he tried to jump after them. He could only watch, tearfully, as his unborn children fell further and further down to die. “Chicks, Zapdos!” I cried all of a sudden, unable to help myself. My face was aghast with horror at Zapdos’ actions, “Unborn chicks at that! You call our brother a disgrace when you can’t even come to fight him, so you must kill his children? You are the disgrace, Zapdos!” Suddenly, Zapdos leapt at me, his feathers crackling with electricity as his beak darted at my neck and his talons scrapped my body. “I am the disgrace? I am the disgrace? You useless piece of filth! How dare you! You must be punished, sister! You must learn to respect me! I am the first to find my name! I am the strongest! I am the best!” he hissed as he caused blood to run unchecked through my feathers and I found myself sobbing with pain, unable to attack my own brother. Zapdos’ words from long ago echoed in my head. He was right. I was useless. Pathetic. My breathing became ragged as he blasted me with electricity and my red eyes widened with pain and shock. “Pathetic! You’re useless! You need to learn respect, dear sister!” he said, insulting me over and over with such a fierce anger behind the words that I knew them to be true. Tears ran unchecked down my cheeks and I heard my brother tell him to stop, I saw him feel so helpless because he couldn’t use his fire attacks for fear of hurting me. It was alright though. I deserved the punishment. If I had intervened in that fight so long ago, none of this would have happened. ”Stop Zapdos! Do not hurt our sister! I, Moltres, Guardian of the Flame, shall not let you do this!” my brother cried all of a sudden and Zapdos stood up to face him, throwing me aside where I lay limply, staring up at Moltres. Moltres? His name was Moltres? ”Found a name have you?” Zapdos sneered, “No doubt from that useless common mate of yours.” I looked at Zapdos and saw the madness shining in my brother’s eyes and I whimpered helplessly. Thankfully he didn’t hear me; otherwise I’d end up with another beating. “Don’t speak of my mate like that, in fact don’t speak of her at all, you scumbag,” Moltres snarled, “And yes, it is a name we found together. And I am proud of it, Zapdos, proud of the fact I loved a ‘common’. Mother and father raised us to be guardians, not to try and destroy,” ”I am a guardian, Moltres. I am also…a king! Yes, you may be Moltres, Guardian of the Flame but I am Zapdos, King of Thunder!” Zapdos retorted, holding his head up high. Don’t fight him, Moltres. He’s mad. He’s gone mad. ”Real kings don’t rule with fear, Zapdos,” Moltres said, spitting out Zapdos’ name as if it was a filthy curse. Fast as the lightning he controlled, Zapdos spun forward, drilling his beak into Moltres’ chest. Moltres screeched and extended his wings, sending a whirlpool of flames spiralling into Zapdos. The golden bird was thrown back and he started to climb into the sky and began to glow as he gathered up power. Moltres released a beam of fire from his beak and it hit Zapdos. Zapdos plummeted down and Moltres swooped down, releasing a flurry of attacks on Zapdos’ limp form. I winced as Zapdos cried out and released a powerful wave of hot red energy, this was something that used the powers of the sky in a way they should never be. All of us could perform this powerful attack…but it was something only to be used in grave emergencies or for the good of Pokemon or mankind. Zapdos had used it for his own selfish causes. Once again, I found myself hiding away as beak made contact with feathers and blood spurted everywhere as Zapdos spun into Moltres again. The crimson red colour of the blood…the way it dripped from the cliff…the way it oozed from Moltres’ wounds…it made me feel sick to my stomach. Suddenly, I fainted and awoke to the warm sound of Moltres’ voice. “Are you alright?” he said hoarsely. I looked past him and saw blood stained in random places on the cliff and turned my heard to the side, my beak hanging open weakly and shook my head. “…Zapdos isn’t dead,” Moltres said quietly, “But we’ve decided to separate. We’ve decided we all should separate…” Yes…this was something I never would have suspected. I could imagine my own face, appalled by the very idea. Totally separate? ”But…Moltres…we’ve just met again,” I said weakly. Moltres leaned back and looked up at the stars. “Sister, see how Zapdos has ended up as…he’s gone insane from power…if we’re all separated for a while…perhaps, just perhaps, we’ll get our brother back,” he said in a low voice, his eyes staring up into the starry night sky. How long had I been fainted for? How long had that battle raged? A full day, if not more, it seemed. ”Listen to me…you still need to find out who you are…you are still very young at heart, sister. Now…go. Discover yourself,” he continued in a voice full of pensive sadness. My beak hung open as I stood up and trotted slowly up to his side, looking him in the eyes with the most terrified expression on my face you could imagine. ”But…” I said meekly. It was a bit useless really, but I still felt compelled to try and convince Moltres to let me stay. “No, sister. Go. Now!” Moltres’ tones hardened at this last word and off I flew, into the darkness of the night sky. How long did I fly? No idea. Where was I going? Not a clue. I glided over tree tops and above small human cities. People shouted and pointed as the ‘titan of ice’ flew lower over them but I hardly cared then. In fact, I didn’t care at all. My brothers…I couldn’t live with my brothers for Mew knows how long. I was on my own. On my own – for the first time in my life. I looked down and suddenly, for the first time in a while, I began to sing. There were no words, it was simply pure notes. That’s what I liked most about it. The purity. No words, simply the soft swaying notes of the music. The notes were mixed with sadness and loneliness, and tinged with deep regret and guilt. The music made me feel…less alone, I suppose. It made me feel like I wasn’t the only one out there. A few bird Pokemon sang with me as I passed and my heart warmed with every tiny voice that joined me, but the warmth passed and my song died. I can to rest in a clearing – nothing special about it. Quite a plain, boring clearing. I sighed, and closed my eyes. I had flown for hours on end. I needed to sleep… ”Whoa, what Pokemon is that?” “It’s pretty, somebody throw an apricorn!” “I dunno, it’s kinda big…it’d probably fight back…” Children’s voices surrounded me and I opened my eyes blearily. “Eek, it’s waking up! What should we do?” ”It’s got blood red eyes!” ”Dear gosh, somebody just throw an apricorn already, I’m all out!” Around me were several neat and trim children, most with Pokemon by their sides. One gripped an apricorn in a shaky hand. I closed my eyes again. I didn’t care what an apricorn did. I could surely endure that if I could endure Zapdos’ torture. “Ok, I’m throwing it already!” Light! The sensation of being pulled and twisted, it jerked me from my half-slumber and I threw open my wings to fight it. I shrieked and fired a beam of ice energy up into the air as the light pulled me towards the apricorn and I grew smaller and smaller. Suddenly, I touched the apricorn and was engulfed in darkness. I didn’t know what the heck was going on, but I didn’t like it at all. I fired another blast of ice energy and suddenly I felt sunlight on my feathers again and I could hear the children’s voices. I glared coldly at them before I flew up with a cry, leaving behind only one feather. “Dear gosh! Well, there it goes. Well done for ruining our chance at finding a rare Pokemon. We could have been famous, like the person who discovered Gyarados!” ”Oh shush, William! You’re such a bossy-boots!” My flight seemed to be controlled by panic and slight fear of the apricorns. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like not knowing what it was. I didn’t like it all. I swerved around tall oaks, winged my way higher into the skies as I went and soon I was over the seas. I came to circle, closing my eyes. Memories, back then recent, flashed through my head. In each one I was being pathetic. Useless. Stupid. I couldn’t stop the battle between Moltres and Zapdos the first time, nor could I stop it the second time. I couldn’t even fight back when Zapdos tried to maul me. I was useless filth, just as he said. Worthless and completely dumb. Moltres had gotten rid of me for a reason. Suddenly the water beneath me looked very inviting. I could dive into it…it would be very easy. I would drown, of course, but that would stop Moltres from suffering because of me and Zapdos wouldn’t have to kill me himself. I breathed in and out as I looked at the swirling depths of the water. Then I was diving down, my beak pointing straight at the water’s surface, my eyes closed and my body bracing itself to be swallowed by the dark depths of the water. Faster and faster I fell, the wind whipped at my feathers, the energy of the dive surged through my body and then I felt water around me and opened my beak. Water…salty water…it flooded my lungs and suddenly I felt fear and panic again. I flapped my wings helplessly, attempting to reach the sunlight above. I broke the surface I was pulled under. Some formless demon dragged me down and the light began to fade, I found myself fighting the currents. Air…water…air…water…it all became one dizzy mess as I fell, fighting to reach the surface. Suddenly, I was sitting on the back of a great blue serpent, coughing up water. I looked around in surprise; I was on the back of the rare, vicious Gyarados! I gulped; I had heard stories about the fierceness of this water Pokemon from Zapdos, and from other wild Pokemon. I had heard they swallowed human ships whole and had no mercy. I had also heard from the humans that they flew in the air and their glare could turn you to stone. “Ah, so you’re awake then?” a mighty voice bellowed. All I could manage was a nod, my throat blocked up by fear as the Gyarados twisted its great head around. It had yellow lips and fierce eyes, with saliva dripping from fangs that would come up to my chest. The strange dark blue crown between its eyes brought its dark red eyes into a vicious, permanent glare. ”No need to be afraid,” it bellowed again. Somehow I got the strange impression it had tried to lower it’s voice and it’s expression was somehow soft – but nothing could wipe the terrifying glare from it’s face. ”I’m not…” I lied. I was always bad at lying. The Gyarados shook its head, the massive light blue coils of its body twisting underneath it. I flattened myself on its back and wrapped my wings about the serpent’s body in fear, was the Gyarados trying to throw me off? “I can tell you’re lying. I can see the fear in your eyes,” it said. I swallowed hard, it knew I was lying. I was about to be gobbled up by a fierce sea serpent. I wish father was here, he would drive the beast away… ”I don’t lie…” I lied again. Badly. Maybe I should shut my beak and get it over with; I was never good at deceiving anybody and concealing truths. “The stories are highly exaggerated you know, there are, of course, fierce Gyarados. Sadly quite a few of them. But we’re not all bad. Most of us eat to live, unlike humans who live to eat. I only eat what I must, I try and avoid the bloodlust that curses our species and makes the humans hunt and fear us. At least we don’t have these ‘Pokemon trainers’ at our backs every day and night, determined to catch us in their ‘apricorn’,” the Gyarados said. It noticed the way my expression changed at the word ‘apricorn’ and it changed the subject abruptly, “My name is Jinn, I am the Beta Female of my school,” ”School?” I asked in a confused voice. I wasn’t exactly sure what Jinn meant by ‘School’. ”Yes, that is our term for what you would call a ‘Flock’. There are around 4 Gyarados and 30 Magikarp in one school of us and…” ”Magikarp? Why are there Magikarp in a Gyarados school?” I asked instantly. Jinn laughed, she seemed to find this incredibly amusing. ”Why, didn’t you know little one? When Magikarp grow strong enough, they transform into Gyarados,” she said. I cocked my head to the side in confusion. Magikarp, those tiny red fish transformed into the vicious, carnivorous Gyarados? Then again, she had never heard of baby Gyarados and humans (along with most Pokemon) had never found Gyarados eggs before so…it sort of made sense. ”Yes, yes. There is the Alpha Male and Alpha Female, who are Gyarados who lead the school then there is the Beta Male and Beta Female, who help the Alphas and look after the Gyarados. Sadly, my mate, the Beta Male, was killed by a human hunting party,” she added sadly, casting her eyes to the sea beneath her fins, “However, what were you doing in the water? You should know that most bird-Pokemon cannot swim.” I looked away. What could I say? That I was trying to kill and drown myself? No, then Jinn might think she interfered with something and should throw me back in the water. I didn’t really want to die…I was afraid of that darkness. That cold embrace of the water, the demons pulling my away from the light…I didn’t want to go through it again. “I…fell…” I said lamely. Jinn burst out laughing before she shot an apologetic look at me and smiled. ”It’s perfectly fine. I was a bad swimmer for a while. Would always wind up on the surface. You just need practice flying. I’ve always wanted to be able to fly, but sadly our kind can’t,” she said, disproving yet another rumour about Gyarados. I was fairly uncertain about what I had heard now. I always took what Zapdos, Moltres and other Pokemon said to me fairly seriously. I opened my beak to ask her if that was the truth but thought better of it and clamped it closed. “So, little one, where were you heading? I can give you a lift if you like.” “I was heading…for the island in Johto with all the whirlpools around it. I was visiting my father.” I must admit, I did enjoy Jinn’s company. She was very nice, talkative, didn’t complain about giving me a lift all the way to Johto. The voyage took 30 days and 30 nights to complete. She seemed to enjoy speaking to me. It must have been the loneliness of losing her mate; she must have appreciated a friend. She told me of Gyarados customs and her family, and I spoke of mine. She seemed very impressed by who my father was. I told her of our naming rituals. She told me of the way Gyarados hunted and how they recognized Gyarados from their school. I told her, sadly, about Moltres and Molten Dreams. She told me about the cruelty of the human hunters, and how her mate was killed along with her oldest child, Zephyr, who had just transformed into a Gyarados. When we reached the whirlpool island, I was very sad to say goodbye. “Well, I have enjoyed travelling with you, friend. I hope your father can help Zapdos and Moltres,” Jinn said as she stopped outside the island. ”Why don’t you come with me?” I asked. Jinn simply smiled and shook her head. “Oh no, I couldn’t cross the whirlpools and your father probably doesn’t have room for a great dirty Gyarados like me anyway,” she replied quietly. I frowned slightly and stood up, careful not to pinch my talons into her hide. However, Gyarados hide was very thick and tough; it would take more than a mere pinch to puncture it. “Well, goodbye friend. I am sure we will cross paths again someday,” Jinn said sadly as I lifted off into the air and turned to face her head. It still seemed to glare, but I had, over the past month, been able to see all the different expressions in the Gyarados’ face. There was happiness and sadness, anger and serenity. I could see when she was thinking and when her concentration was completely on swimming. Today her face held sadness, along with a tinge of excitement. I supposed this was the closest she’s ever been to my father’s home. “Yes, Jinn we will and I hope I will have my name by then and my brothers will be there with me,” I replied gravely. Jinn nodded and we both turned away and went different paths, I flew over the whirlpools and she dived into the deep green-blue sea. ”Father?” I called as I flew into the cave, landing smartly on a rock. Thankfully the cave wasn’t too flooded today. Usually it was almost completely underwater. My father had told me that was because of the tides, but I was sure he just changed the level to suit his mood. “Is that you, my daughter? Where are your brothers?” he asked instantly, his long neck emerging from the shadows. His fur seemed less white and more silver from the last time I saw him. Was this a sign of him aging? I thought we were immortal…or perhaps this was only what we thought… ”We separated, father. Zapdos, our electric-brother, has gone mad. My flame brother, now named Moltres, had fallen in love with a Charizard who died a while afterwards. I hoped you would be able to…heal Zapdos’ madness or something…” I said lamely. Seriously, what I had been expected? For my father to wave his wing and then my brother to be healed and better? It seemed logical at the time, but it was really quite foolish. If Zapdos had really gone mad, there was little my father could do. “Why has your brother gone mad?” he asked instantly, ignoring my request. I paused, not sure. Perhaps it was all because of Molten Dreams…or because Moltres had separated from him… “It is because, dear daughter, when you were born you were meant to stay together until you all had separate names and, from that, separate fates,” he continued, before I could so much think of the answer, “Zapdos’ madness can only be cured by the unity of you three.” ”But father, we’ve all been together and that just made Zapdos attack me and then Zapdos and Moltres got into a fight and…oh…it’s all my fault and…” ”Shush, daughter. What’s done is done, we cannot alter history,” Father said, nuzzling the side of my face with his wedge-shaped head. I closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened then, he was staring through a whole in the roof, the one he flies into and I flew into. “Father…I do not understand. How am I meant to create this…unity?” I asked. Father did not reply for a moment, and then he sighed and turned to face me. “I am not sure, dear daughter. Perhaps if one of you had inherited my full powers. Go ask Rayquaza in Hoenn. He is older and wiser than I am,” he said simply. ”What if I found my name before we were unified? Would that cure the madness?” I asked instantly. Lugia paused for a second, tail swishing from side to side as he thought. “Perhaps. All of this is theory. No mind in the world can predict destiny, no matter how plain it may seem,” he replied. I left. No mind in the world can predict destiny, no matter how plain it may seem. What was that meant to mean? That Zapdos was destined to die, alone and mad? That Moltres was meant to lose unborn children and his mate? Destiny…I didn’t like the idea of it. I liked the idea of controlling myself, not being controlled by some so-called destiny. I did not like to think that fate intervened in people’s lives, the idea frightened me. I looked around, glad to be under open skies again. The cold nipped pleasantly at my flesh as I glided over a thermal. Rayquaza, the lord of the skies. He was said to live atop a great metal mountain within the clouds, shrouded constantly by mist and surrounded by the sea. No human had ever been there but I no longer gave much credit to rumour after meeting Jinn. She had been so unlike the Gyarados of rumour and terrified sailor’s tales. I wasn’t thinking as I flew, fortunately I was blessed with a good sense of direction and found myself over the snow-capped mountains between Johto and Hoenn. They were unchanged by man and untouched by time. Only those seeking adventure tried to venture up their steep sides, but few made it to the tip. I loved these mountains; I had always had plans to live here. But I couldn’t stop. I had more important things on my mind. I could feel Zapdos’ connection. It was constantly shifting, a whirlpool of continuous confusion and hatred. I had to rescue him from it. I flew over the snowy mountains, the air becoming colder around me as I released ice energy from my body. We had to release some energy, otherwise it would build up and we’d make ourselves ill. I continued to flew, not sure what I was looking for. A mountain of metal, with the great green Rayquaza standing on top. I sighted something in the distance and began flying full speed towards it, snow flakes falling from my feathers as I went faster towards what seemed to be Rayquaza’s home. It was. A great steel tower, build on an island. Altaria swooped into the windows. I knew very few humans lived anywhere near here; the only ones in Hoenn were simply the barbaric natives. They mostly inhabited the mainland, other than the few that lived in the Island atop the Waterfall. I saw something; it looked like an enormous emerald. As I flew closer, I saw it was the sleeping form of Rayquaza. He was green, with glowing golden markings on its serpentine body. One eye opened as I flew closer, a single amber eye ringed with charcoal black. He lifted his head up, he was huge. Bigger than I was, and he made Jinn look like a mere Ekans in comparison. His teeth were mighty, usually hidden behind his green jaw. The gold markings glowed and shone like the sun as he stretched, leaning his face towards me, looking at me with curiosity. “Er…greetings…my lord. I am…Lugia’s daughter. And I have come to ask you some things about my brothers,” I said uncertainly, stuttering as I spoke. Rayquaza nodded and inclined his head, allowing me to continue. I had been warned he also rarely spoke. ”My brother Zapdos has been maddened by power. My father said I should ask you what I should do. He said I should unify us again, until I find my name and then the madness will cease,” I continued, feeling very awkward. ”That is not a question, my dear child,” he said in a low voice. I smiled sheepishly. Yes, it wasn’t a question. That was a good point. ”I want to know…how can I cure my brother’s madness? You know the story about…Molten Dreams, don’t you?” I asked. Rayquaza simply nodded, and idly grabbed something between his talons and brought it up to show me. It was a stone tablet, engraved with a picture of the Sea Whale, Kyogre and the Land Beast, Groudon. “These two were tamed, their madness and uncontrolled powers soothed by the Red Orb and Blue Orb. I created these orbs to stop the battle of the land and sea, which you were just a chick when it ended. I suppose I could create orbs for Zapdos, Moltres and yourself to ensure peace. Though you must all be briefly unified and put into a slumber. It will take time to create three of them, and for then separation is best. When the time comes, I will fly to meet you. For now, I want you to go live within the Ice Palace in Kanto, known to the humans as Seafoam Islands.” I did. I lived in the Seafoam Islands for a long time. Ages past, technology advanced and the sport known as ‘Pokemon training’ became more popular and the lesser humans began to follow it. Apricorns turned into ‘Pokeballs’. Pokemon and humans were living in peace, and there was no war or fighting. It was a golden age, though I could still feel Zapdos’ pain and insanity. I could still sense Moltres’ sadness and loneliness. I knew where they were, the Pokemon who lived with me in the Seafoam Islands, I commanded them to find out about my brothers and relay the information if they were captured. I honed my powers. Many ‘trainers’ attempted to capture me with their Pokeballs, but I dodged and could not be caught. I fought against the trained Pokemon, and shared thoughts and feelings with them. I found out that it was unity and not slavery these Pokemon fought for. I was satisfied with that answer, knowing it was friendship. A golden age. Golden enough for most humans and Pokemon anyway. I was still lonely, and my brothers were still in pain. One day, however, Rayquaza returned to me bearing three orbs. One an icy blue that sparkled like a sapphire, one that I could not touch because it burned me and one which was bright yellow and shone bright. ”These will bring peace to you three. I have had my servants carve out a trio of islands for you to live in peace and harmony. You will slumber, but dream. In these dreams, you will all be together but unable to bring each other harm. Only then, will you be able to tame Zapdos’ fierce mind. Come, child, and we will bring your brothers with us,” he said. We found Moltres first, in a rocky mountain. Apparently he had moved from the place known as Victory Road, since the humans were getting too common around there and they had more powerful Pokeballs. He agreed with us and we went to capture Zapdos. All three of us had to fight, since he didn’t want to be anywhere near Moltres. But I eventually froze him and when he defrosted, he was being carried in Rayquaza’s mighty jaws and was unable to escape. I had to admit, this idea scared me. A dream world. I was going to live in a dream world with my brothers, perhaps for all eternity. I hoped we wouldn’t have to stay there forever, because then Zapdos would remain mad and my brothers would still hate each other. First we sealed Zapdos in a stone island, carved in his likeness and sealed him with the gem. Next, Moltres slumbered in his carved island, and prevented him from awakening with the fire gem. I was afraid now. It was my turn. “Are you ready?” Rayquaza asked me kindly I nodded and fell into the cave, nestling myself comfortable on the bottom. I saw Rayquaza place the sphere of ice within my statue’s beak and I suddenly felt drowsy and sleepy, as I was sealed within the island and my entire world turned into a dream. The next few…centuries, years, I don’t know, were harsh but I felt things becoming greater. Until human interference released us, that is. Zapdos and Moltres began to fight again, after being captured by an insane human with a passion for ‘collecting’. I tried to stop it, but only made it worse. Eventually it was our father who quelled the fighting. Then we were back into the dreamland. It’s a strange story. It isn’t even finished yet, Moltres and I are still working together to bring Zapdos back to his old self. We’re not sure if it will work. After all, not even the strongest minds can predict destiny, no matter how plain it may seem. But I will carry on. I want my brothers; I have grown a stronger will. I have matured. I am now stronger, I am now more determined. I am now Articuno, and I will be forever. Back to Fanfics Back to Home