The Crystal Chronicles. Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End
Brendan and Jacques are preparing to reach their final evening with a Pokémon battle. The site is a vacant lot atop the mid road in the Côte D’Azur. Unknown to them is beside the tourists and citizens gathered to watch their showdown; they have more than just human eyes looking onward at them...
October 16, 2008. Only 15 minutes have passed since Brendan and Jacques's rendezvous. The empty lot is nothing more than barren patch of dirt that looks to be the future sight of a millionaire’s home. Set off a cliff just outside of Nice, the Mediterranean Sea crashes and howls below them. People, mostly foreign tourists are watching the last glimpse of the sun set here as it’s quite picturesque in the distance. Jacques and Brendan both land abruptly in the middle of the field. They walk their separate ways toward each side. Brendan to the left, Jacques to the right as his Pidgeot follows behind him. The people around know this is the sign of a battle. They without saying a word move off the side of the adjacent mid road to watch.
“It’s a one on one fight of course Brendan. Seeing as you only have one Pokem--.”
“He’ll be fine.” Brendan replies abruptly.
“Very well.” Jacques replies. He looks around at the on looking people. They stand still with anticipation of what’s to come.
“Begin. Allez-y Pidgeot!” Jacques calls out as his Pidgeot leaps into air and somersaults, and dances in the sky towards the center of the empty battle site.
“Ok...” Brendan looks down at his Poké ball. “We’ll win this.”
“Nardi! Let’s go!” In a typical fashion Brendan throws his ball down as an unusually small Pikachu comes forth. He looks no bigger than the size of a Pichu in fact and wears a light blue scarf around his neck.
“In my rules as you being the guest here in France Brendan, you can attack first. And based on Nardi’s condition, you’ll need it, Bonasera.” Jacques replies with a smirk.
“Humph...Fine. Nardi! Begin with agility!” The dwarf Pikachu rushes head first towards Pidgeot who is remaining still as the calm breeze blowing. Nardi’s speed builds quickly to the point where the people watching are in awe as Nardi in a blur heads for Pidgeot. Pidgeot finally uses a wing attack and brings his massive left wing right towards Nardi with aggressive force! Pidgeot is stunned briefly as it has failed to make contact with Nardi! Nardi had swerved a sharp right and began to run laps around Pidgeot!
“Don’t just sit their Pidgeot! Counter with Extremespeed!” Jacques yells out. The Pidgeot flipped into the air and backwards as it locked on right behind Pikachu. The two looked as though they were trying out for marathon as they ran area the perimeter of the barren battle field. A cat and mouse chase it looked like. They kicked up so much dirt that the people watching were covered in a blanket of dust. It looked like something out of the dust bowl in 20th century America. Brendan and Jacques didn’t flinch from their positions on the field. The dust slowly cleared as Pidgeot could be seen diving right into the sky at a 90 degree angle. Lo and behold on its back was the tiny Pikachu which had outclassed and countered Pidgeot’s speed and agility!
“That’s it Nardi! Hang on!” Brendan shouted.
“This is going to get ugly. What goes up with him is going to come crashing down with him.” Jacques murmured to himself. “Sky attack Pidgeot!” The Pidgeot came to a dead halt in midair as the sudden lack of inertia caused Nardi to grasp his feathers tighter. Pidgeot suddenly fell back wards in mid air to commence with the attack! He was going to crush Nardi; quite literally! The speed began to build as the velocity became almost too much for the little Pikachu to hold on. There was no time for Brendan to shout a command to counter. This could be lethal; even deadly for Nardi; no...both of them. No more than 100 yards off the ground, next to the dangerously close cliff nearby they were. Nardi suddenly pushed away from Pidgeot flipping and flailing backwards away from him. He let out a massive thunderbolt attack that shocked the close power lines, and shattered street lamps just feet away from him in midair. The crowd ran back in fear as shards of glass and lose wires came limping downward in their direction. The move was a direct hit on Pidgeot which knocked him unconscious. They both began their final fall towards the cliff below! Both Brendan and Jacques ran in an effort to try to catch their Pokémon.
“Pidgeot!”
“Nardi!” They both yelled trying to save them.
A chill had the air almost instantly hit at that moment. A cold wind picked up and turned into an icy chill. Suddenly the air became unbearably cold the two fell on their knees as the crowd of people tried to run for cover. The onlookers froze literary right in their tracks as did Nardi and Pidgeot above. A blinding red light flashed as time as seemed to suddenly...crease. Brendan and Jacques were lost for words looking up at their Pokémon and their selves.
“W-What the hell?!” Brendan finally exclaimed. The two were still ok; not harmed by the bitter cold. Nothing moved but them. Everything was dead still...
“The people! –what is happening??!” Jacques shouted.
Seconds later a figure; a Pokémon leaped up from the steep cliff below. It had a body of a deer-like animal with glowing red eyes, with some sort of yellow horn apparatus around the center of its body. Its body was not well defined and appeared as a shadow towards Brendan Jacques. It spoke:
“It’s time. Brendan. You’re the one to set memory and sanity back into the world.”“Wh—what? What are you talked about?!” Brendan exclaimed.
“I am...god of all Pokémon: Arceus. You must restore the world’s past and present by manipulating its future. You’re chosen and destined to do so. Protect it.”
Before Brendan had time to reply, an instant flash of light swallowed both Brendan and Nardi whole and disappeared into the evening. The shadow Pokémon disappeared moments later as Jacques now had become incased in an icy grave with the rest...