Pokémon Chronicles 零 (ZERO)

Intermission: The legend of Heroica

It did take a while, but surely enough, we were called out to meet Lucca and the others. They entered the canyon via a bridge at the opposite end to where I woke up, but were so confused and unsettled about something that most of our work that evening was spent getting them to calm down. Lucca especially, who for some reason was now convinced that the desert was haunted, and that we shouldn't sleep in an area devoid of sunlight tonight. Zorua's illusions worked a little too well.

Surprisingly enough, unlike the rest of the desert, this area mysteriously maintained its lovingly cool atmosphere. We found it easy to get relaxed into our tents and settle to sleep, although I still had my recent issues show through. I wasn't tired in the slightest, and despite not having eaten for days now, didn't feel hungry at all. I still tried to eat for the sake of appearing normal in front of my friends, but wound up quickly throwing it all up. Fortunately, I was able to hide that from them, but it frightened me.

Soon enough, the beautiful desert night had returned to the sky, we were huddled around a small fire, and Angel was making sure she had our full attention.

"Right... I hope you guys know what you're in for. If any of you have wondered at all who I really am and all that, anyway," Angel began, giggling about something.

"Hey if it makes me feel more comfortable around you, then may as well. It'll either answer a lot, or just give me even more questions," I complained, looking away.

"Where do I even start? We're going way back. And I mean way, way back, to like, Heroica's first ever bunch of history. Back when most of the landmarks today weren't even things," she rambled.

"Just start with whatever makes sense right now," Shelly suggested. She had to think about that, and then raised a wing with a sunny pose.

...

It is unknown how it really came about, but Heroica is said to have been a gift. A gift of life, given to four forms of sentient beings. There were the angels, holy beings that sat closest to the throne of the almighty and lived in the ideals set for them. Then there were the undine, creatures that were birthed of, and cradled, the sea as their reason for being. They were the embodiment of the sea, its wishes, its defence, its blessing, and everything more. Next, there were Pokémon, the mortal but intelligent beings that basked in nature and allowed the cycle of life and nature to exist. Last was the planet itself, the mother. Heroica was to be the most beautiful land the mother would have, a land rich in the requirements for any living creature to survive. It was a haven that was to be shared; a gift unworthy of mortal life, but fitting for a deity to have permitted to them.

Heroica survived on anima, magical energy that sprouted from six fountains across the mother. The mother divided these fountains between the inhabitants, so that all could survive and flourish, to truly share the gift. The mother basked in anima power to create its rich lands, and shared its blessings with the races that respected it so well.

But mortal life is not without flaw. It began with the expanding world that Pokémon required. With so many different species in an ever growing population, their need for anima power outgrew that of the other races. They felt that because their use of anima power was greater than that of the other races, that there was a greater need for it as well.

The Pokémon's lust for more anima quickly resulted in a war. Their numbers and powers were not strong enough to take the lands of the undine or the angels, who defended themselves with all their might. However, this great sin was not to go unchecked – the undine soon began to retaliate, seeking to erase the Pokémon from existence due to their foolish mistake. The angels remained in the almighty's favour, and never sought dominance or violence over another.