Ragnarok

Note: Phew, it's been quite some time since I did an update, and I apologize for my lateness.

Well, I've brought two updates: Special #1 and Chapter 11. I hope you enjoy them.

Of course, please read, review, and rate my writing. Criticisms are welcome, and will only help to improve my work.

Oh, and here's a little section primarily for the Special #1:

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-A Cold Winter's Night takes place in Snowpoint, exactly one year from the point the story is at right now (One year from Deux Ex Machina).

-Many new characters in this story will be revealed very shortly in Ragnarok, or will at least be mentioned to a degree.

-This special is amgibuously canon. It's very likely that this will happen in the story, but the Ragnarok version may vary, depending on what I change from now til then. Keep that in mind, as I may do drastic changes. Hell, I might completely wipe a character or two.

-The special also works as a buildup to what will happen soon in Arc 1, and functions alot like a Teaser to the next few Arcs to come as well toward the end.

-The identity of the new characters (you'll know right away who's new) is MOSTLY kept under wraps for now, although there is one or two that I allow to be revealed, as they are definately shoe-ins for the story.

-Lynus = Lyn, don't get the two confused. Lynus and Lyn are the same person.

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Overall, it's a very brief chapter. Just a little something I wanted to do to give everyone a taste of what's to come. Only breaks 3,000 words, so it's a comfy read, I believe.

With that all said and done...

Enjoy the read!

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S:01
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The two, taking cover, hid behind the large rocky formation on the slope, footsteps heard from the other side of the threshold atop the formation, the enemy reforming to plan another means of attack.

His breath, visible in the chilly climate and morning sun, slowly rose above and beyond their shield, his body trying to recover from the nearly insane distance they had traveled, firing back at their opponents whenever they left an opening. The lower portion of his legs shook, his instinct becoming too anxious to act, the only force holding him back was the knowledge that he was outnumbered, and currently, unarmed.

Except for his partner, of course.

His partner, more or less a foot shorter than he, sat behind the boulder, resting her body in his side. Her laughter filled the air, giving away their position to the enemy, oblivious to the concept of stealth.

The snow coating the land, trees, and rocky formations on the outside of town continued to harmlessly float from the sky, the clouds not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon. Smoke from the townhouses back in Snowpoint towered high above the sky, almost piercing the clouds above. Even the Pokemon Center here had a fireplace in the lobby, for the weather here never changed; the climate wouldn't allow it.

His breath finally slowing to a steady pace, he brought himself to his feet, still crouching against the massive rock wall. He looked over to his partner, her fur and muzzle caked in snow, some of it falling off to her side with every labored breath she took in after each round of insurmountable laughter quaked into the air.

She was having a great time. Of course, she'd never seen snow before; then again, neither had he.

"How many of hers are left?" Noah asked the mongoose on the floor, who had already rolled over to her side, overly excited.

Luna failed to answer back.

"She can't have too many left. I hit one or two from her team, there's no way there could be much more left..."

Noah cautiously poked his head out from behind the safety of the formation, the movement proven to be more difficult in the thick winter's coat and scarf he was wearing.

The moment he was able to see beyond the crevice, a large mass of snow came barreling down upon him. Before he was able to react, the snow smashed into his face, blinding him.

He didn't move, the force not violent in any sense of the word. He heard Luna pause for a moment, trying to take in the situation, before she almost exploded.

Noah's hand slowly wiped the cold matter from his face. The feeling itself was a bit unpleasant, but not painful. If anything, Noah was more humiliated than anything else, ignoring the freezing feeling that began to fill his cheeks and nose.

"You got him! You got him!!" a young girl's voice echoed over the hill. Leafless trees were scattered among the peak, a girl dancing with her Pokemon around a tree in celebration. Her scarf came lose as she continued to spin around the tree with her Scyther- the mantis-like Pokemon looking away out of embarrassment- forcing their victory to a complete halt as she stopped to fix her outfit.

Noah and Luna finally came out of hiding, walking up the field. His other two Pokemon comically face down on the ground, snowballs seemingly glued to the back of their heads, their chuckles muffled by the freezing ground.

"It's alright guys, it's over, you guys can come out now." he told them. As ordered, the Pokemon quickly picked themselves up, ever loyal to their trainer. Several of the casualties from Lynus' side were doing the same, before all of the downed Pokemon where sucked back into their containers, leaving Lyn, Luna, and Noah the only ones remaining on the field.

Lyn clapped her hands together, patiently waiting for everyone to get fully situated. "So," she started out, a little too anxious at first, "where to next?"

Noah looked around the outskirts of Snowpoint. There wasn't much to see in the city, and the wilderness on the outside of the city gates was frighteningly dangerous for any trainer to live in. They had earlier decided upon a simple snowball fight to quell their boredom for the majority of the day. His body beginning to ache from so much physical activity, Noah looked back at the village's smoke pillars.

"Back to town I guess. We can have some cocoa and relax by the fire back at the Pokemon Center." Noah suggested. There were no complaints from the team.

The sun wasn't visible, but the light it gave off proved plentiful, even through the darkened clouds that loomed over the city and in the winter forest beyond the borders. As they grew closer to the village, the number of trees by the wayside of the main road began to diminish, until only one or two trees appeared every few meters apart. Most of the trees by the hill were contrasts of what they were seen now; behind that snow-coat that the vegetation allowed to grow was a lively green color of good health, the trees and other plantation adapted to the harsh climates this far north of Sinnoh.

"Tomorrow we'll get back to training." Noah stated, breaking the peaceful trek back to town. He looked down at his black belt, at the Pokeballs that rested upon it. Six balls, two of them filled, three empty, and one that would never be used. He stared at one in particular, the one that had his most recent catch.

"Kenga's only been with us for about half a month. He's having a hard time synching his attack patterns to my strategies."

This prompted Lyn to look inside her black cloak that engulfed her entire body, including the jacket she had put on back in town. Her Pokeballs rested on a strap across the inside of the cloak.

"Yeah. I haven't caught anything new recently either. I feel like I'm lagging behind. I'm sure Skai and Lee wouldn't mind some new company someday."

She patted her cloak back down as the gates to the border of town opened, permitting them entry. Noah started shivering as they grew closer to the Pokemon Center located at the center of the town.

-----

"There's suppose to me a nice sunset today." Lyn told Noah at the table they'd chosen to sit at. Noah nodded as he took a drink of cocoa from the steaming mug in front of him. Luna was sitting beside him, chewing on some stubborn meat they had ordered earlier. The other Pokemon had already eaten, and the group decided that some time by the fire would be good for all of them.

The Pokemon sat by the fire, letting their bodies absorb the inviting warmth radiating from the flames. A vent at the top of the chimney assured that none of the suffocating smoke would permeate the area as the group continued to enjoy their stay in the lobby.

Noah took another quick sip of his hot drink before replying. "Tomorrow is our anniversary." Noah said. Lyn looked at him, awkwardly at first, before understanding.

"Hehe, it's been that long has it? It sure doesn't feel like it." she laughed, staring out at the window, the snow still refusing to let up, blanketing the window on the outside.

"So much has happened..." Noah murmured. "If I saw myself from one year ago, I don't think I'd be able to recognize him."

"The same here." Lyn said, moving around some contents in her cloak's pockets. She quickly pulled out some herbs and let her fingers run through them, almost massaging the delicate medicine, staring deeply into the substance. "I've gotten so much better at this, it almost makes me dizzy how much we've learned."

Noah nodded while Lyn put the herbs back in her cloak, pulling out some more from a pocket on the opposite side. Unzipping her bag, she quickly pulled out a mixing bowl and grinding tool, and started mashing the plant.

"You never put that stuff away for long." Noah joked as he watched her elegantly mash the plant into a strange powder. Lyn didn't respond, instead reaching into her bag for a small tube of red liquid. She mixed the contents as the liquid slowly dribbled into the bowl, blending the two into a strange colored paste.

Lyn continued to combine the substance while Noah stood up and stared outside of the window. He looked on as the sun began to fall from the highest point of the sky. He turned back, watching their Pokemon by the fire, Luna seemingly dragging on a conversation with Kenga, possibly trying to make him feel more welcomed by the group.

Noah admired their ability to keep things to themselves now. He stared down at his necklace, plates were scattered about the sockets, half of them still empty. Their ability to block or allow each other into one another's mind became easier as they continued to collect these strange artifacts. It would only be a matter of time before they'd reach that synchronization that Noah told Luna about so long ago...

"You guys want to go watch the sun set?" Noah asked the group. "It isn't going down for some time from now, but it wouldn't hurt to just watch it for awhile, right?"

Luna's conversation with Kenga and now Roko instantly broke, all of the Pokemon answering Noah's question with enthusiasm.

"Who would I be if I said no?" Lyn replied, finishing up the paste and pouring it into a very small container, placing everything into her bag after cleaning off her equipment.

After paying the center for the food and drink, Noah's group head back into the cold, the temperature only dropping as the heat from the large star in the sky faded away. Noah and Lyn instinctively wrapped their bodies up in their jackets and scarves the moment they felt the air sting their faces. Once their bodies became comfortable, the group marched off to the Snowpoint Temple, the highest point in the city.

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The view from the top of the temple was nice, to say the least. From the top of the temple, the entire town was visible, almost no building going unnoticed; not that there were many buildings to look at anyway. The snow blanket on the top of the building made sitting on the stone structures more comfortable, the one positive point realized the moment Lyn's feet began to ache from standing to much.

Noah and Lyn's Pokemon were scattered atop the roof to the temple, talking or thinking to themselves for the most part. Luna was playfully picking on Roko again, who decided, for this occasion, to go along with it, much to the surprise of Noah. Kenga sat in the corner, almost as if he'd been put in timeout like a child, and stared at the group as a whole. His face, usually fixed as a disgruntled sadness- a face he'd make all too often to Noah's group- changed for this occasion.

Kenga looked on, his paws rubbing into the almost therapeutic snow layer on the hard surface to the roof. He wasn't particularly smiling, but was very content with what lay before him, almost optimistic about the journey ahead, and how he could serve his kind, new master with his battle strength; almost, but not quite.

Skai was going through regular battle drills, keeping his body warm by doing several battle exercises he made back in the forest around Sandgem to keep himself in shape. His wings buzzed once or twice as his scythes swung down onto nothing, cutting away at the air in front of him.

Lee sat next to Lyn, not enjoying the cold as much as everyone else, but still happy that everyone else was having a good time. His trainer, Lyn, wrapped herself tighter with the black cloak as a light breeze came in from the north, making it seem as though the temperature had just sharply dropped.

Noah let his fingers run across the empty sections of his necklace, the metal twice as cold as before because of the snow, goose bumps running up his arm. He looked up as the sun finally began to disappear beyond the horizon.

"This is it." Noah announced, the Pokemon ceased what they were doing, along with Lyn, all gathering near the edge of the temple to get a better sight of the sun. "The setting of the sun marks a new beginning."

Luna looked up at him. "Time just flew by so fast." she said, Roko nodding her head in agreement.

"Who knows what lies ahead? I wonder what other Pokemon, or even people, will decide to come with us..." Lyn wondered aloud.

"We've already gotten half of them Luna," Noah pointed out, showing his closest friend his necklace, the Soul Plate shining as Luna's nose made contact with it. "I wonder what will happen when we find them all..."

The group stopped, enjoying the moment, letting the last few rays of light from the sun lick at their faces.

The world was rotting. Noah and Lyn to this day still unaware of actions being taken elsewhere to aid or combat the decay of the land. While they aimlessly collected the mysterious plates and gym badges to satiate their own desires of fame and power, others elsewhere are already fighting.

Others, who've answered the call to either side, have already begun their struggles, some succeeding, others falling in battle.

A strange but frighteningly powerful Master roamed the lands of Kanto, under control of a powerful government, blinded by his own pursuit of infinite valor and wisdom.

A vile creature, only wishing to be whole once again, stalks the weak in Kanto, devouring everything that stand in its way.

Johto was only beginning to feel the aftershock of Lance's departure from High Noon, as well as the loss of Cianwood. Despite the lack of activity in the land, they could feel something building up. However, one detail was particularly overlooked by even the sharpest of Johto citizens. The guardian of Ilex Forest had disappeared. Despite Johto's silence throughout the world's ordeal, its quiet nature was negated by the eerie presence the people felt hovering in the air above.

Hoenn was in a state of chaos. High Noon, unable to quell the ever-increasing violence in the major cities, tries viciously to silence the citizens. Families flee to the Johto region for their safety, and Pokemon in the wilderness viciously attack one another as they make futile attempts to cross the ocean and sneak aboard human boats. Every night, there was a sighting of that colossal monster, slowly making its way toward the mainland from the eastern seas of Johto.

Sinnoh's populous stood idly by; watching their heroes, one after another, fall from glory. Cynthia, Richard and Vivian vanished in the matter of a year, and with them gone, the third coming of the deadly organization.

Then, there was K.

The world changes, and the subject is brought back full circle, to the two trainers perched atop the Snowpoint Temple, simply enjoying the peace before they head back into battle, fighting for their own reasons, oblivious to half of the world.

The final quarter began to fall behind the land to the west. Lee snuggled up on Lyn's lap while Skai stood firmly behind her, as her guardian. Kenga sat down farthest from Noah than the rest of his group, but still closer than he'd come any time before, a small fact that made Noah ease up a little.

Noah sat down as Lyn did, letting his legs dangle off of the temple. Roko jumped up to him and gently leaned on his left leg, using him as a pillow, while Luna crept up on his right side. Noah automatically wrapped his arm around Luna's body, bringing her in close. The group almost froze in place, as if a picture of the moment had been taken.

The two trainers' thoughts simultaneously switched to the comfort of their homes and family, Twinleaf Town for Noah, and the over-populated, but vast beauty of Celadon City for Lynus.

'I know that they are worried sick about me back at home, but I hear a voice in my head. My voice. It tells me to follow Noah; that he is my answer, and the one who will lead me back to salvation when all of this is over. I trust this voice...and my Pokemon do too.'

Lynus looked back at her team. 'They've been waiting so long for me to come home. I'm sure they can wait just a little while longer; just enough for me to help Noah out first.'

Memories of the places they had visited flooded Noah and Luna's thoughts, each one transferring their own version of the stories to one another. The fight in the forest, the specter in Eterna, finally meeting Bee, and meeting one of the great Legendary Ones so soon.

'And the truth, regardless of how much it hurt.' Noah ended his monologue.

'It hurts. It hurts a lot Noah,' Luna replied through their strengthened connection, 'but don't you feel something different? Push this powerful resonance we have with each other aside for a moment, and look deep inside yourself. What is it that you feel from truth?'

Noah gave off a grin, petting Luna's head. 'I feel comfort. The truth is all I ever wanted. Despite that it hurt to find out exactly what had happened, I have a sense of...peace with the facts. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful, this feeling is.'

'Words fail to describe how I feel about it myself.' Luna began. 'But I suppose happy will have to do.'

'Yeah.'

Noah's eyes shut tight. A flood of voices boomed into his head; voices of all of those he had met over time...

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"I don't know what they're planning, or what they are after, but I do know this: They're after you, Noah. Please, be careful.

"You idiot! The boy mustn't die!!

"Time splits into an infinite number of tangents. I pray that yours is one of the many ends that comes without pain.

"Now you have our attention..."

"I'm just the first of many. My only regret is not being able to see the stupid look on your face when the day comes."

"Don't you understand!? I'd NEVER let anyone harm you!!

"I don't care what the odds are. I'll win!!"

"It's lonely in the dark, and I'm tired of being alone. I just want someone, anyone, to be there with me, to hold my hand and be my guide. Please, let me come with you!!"

"I have nowhere else to go, no one to return to, and my purpose has been met. Now please, let me be."

"Please...help me...I don't want to die here..!"

"The world is changing, Noah..."

"Go out there, and show Sinnoh- no, the world- what a Sol is made of!"

"Your life as you once knew it is over."

"Thank you, Luna, for everything."

-----

Noah's eyes opened wide, just as the final ray of the sun's loving heat dropped into the distance. The darkness and snow managed to cover up a single tear that slowly made its way down Noah's face. Despite what they may go through soon, what the creature in the forest had told them, or what the Legendary One had warned him about, Noah couldn't help but smile.

He never felt so complete before.