Draco woke that morning to find Charcole draped over a rock near camp. Raising his head he winked at her. She huffed a cloud of smoke at him. Shaking it off he went to the pond to drink and bathe.
Ace was fishing as he strode up. His friend smiled and Draco felt better. He slipped into the water with a gentle plop. Draco loved water. He swam out away from the shore. Using his maw to snag fish caught in the reeds below. Ace didn't like him to swim but, Draco adapted quickly to always keep his tail out of the water.
"You should join me!" Draco shouted.
"In the water!" Charcole yelped.
"No! You should become my mate like we promised so many years ago." He backstroked, to him nothing was better than a morning swim.
"Males! One thing on your feeble brains!" She stomped away.
"Mating is different from being a mate! Charcole! I want you to swear to be by my side and to love me! If you did love me once you would understand me! I guess I was mistaken those days long ago when I kissed you and we vowed in the castle garden." He flew off.
"I was foolish then. Didn't understand males and their true nature." She snarled and wander back toward camp.
Ace knew it was Charcole but, the scars were not the only things changed about her. He felt for Draco as he tried to rekindle their love but, as he saw Draco failed.
"I suppose there is no talking you out of this." Pryce took in a deep breath. "Just promise that the tale I tell dies here!"
Brock, Richie, Whitney, and Bugsy swore. He would only tell the four. He closed his tired eyes, the wrinkles around his his brow twisting. He cleared his throat.
"There was once a woman. She cooked very well for she loved her family. She kissed her child, held him, for she loved her family." He put a hand to his tired forehead.
"There was a man, he worked hard for he loved his family. He kissed his wife, played with his child for he loved his family....
There was a boy, he hugged his parents, said his prayers nightly for he loved his family. He grew happy, he grew loved. He felt like his family would never change and he was four when his family did change.
There was a young trainer who changed that family. You see...
Pryce felt tears fall, Whitney offered a tissue. He took it, blotted away the tears.
"His mother left early that day, leaving him with the sitter. She went to market to buy what was needed for a big meal. ...
She made her purchases and happily took the bags in hand. The items were to make a good meal for her husband for it was his brithday. She went her way home. Coming down the street a young trainer named Antoine was joking with his friend. He was about to change this boy's family and life.
A man who worked very late the past few nights had been very sleepy on his drive home. He was going to change his family as well. He rested his eyes for a mere second and that was enough to find a car heading straight for him. He swerved as best as he could but, not enough. The other car hit his car's rear sending him into a spin.
Panic ruled his mind. He turned the wheel this way that way. He managed to pull out of the spin but, soon saw he only managed to send the car shooting toward the people watching from the sidewalk.
Antoine, for no other reason than random violence pushed the young boy's mother in front of the rushing car. It took her four days to die. She was in the hospital screaming and howling in pain. The young boy would cower from these screams.
The papers claimed Antoine had bravely tried to save the woman's life. They said he just pushed her in the wrong direction, he mijudged the car's path. Lies!
The boy's father grew distant. He found answers in the bottle. He was soon fired. Driving home drunk the boy lost his father as well. He grew with his aunt. He grew angry, he grew smart. He read old legends and grew vengeful.
"Why was the father so depressed? Why didn't he care to watch over his son?" Richie asked.
"You see the father had problems over the mother's death. For you see....he was the man who fell asleep at the wheel." Pryce wept again.
"No wonder." Whitney cried with him.
The boy grew into a man, as all boys must. He had learned of the great Wizard Shao Lin who used his powers to create the Crystal Rods which he used to travel far distances in seconds. He searched Indigo Plateau for three years until he found Shao Lin's Crystals at a flea market. With the means to track down Antoine he needed his weapon now.
Stealing an Ekans egg from a nest he raised it. Feeding it daily on poisons. As it grew he had to find more deadlier toxins to satisfy it. He fought, stole and created new venoms for his pokémon. It finally evolved into Arbok, no one had seen an Arbok in thousands of years. Until the man had forced his Ekans into this form they had been exctinct.
Using the rods he followed Antoine's trail as he fought the gym leaders. Each time he got close he discovered Antoine had just been through that town. Succumbing to exhaust the man had to see a doctor in Fushcia City.
After a good rest he was ready to set out once more. He thought of not using the crystals for some time. He saw that several residents were all streaming toward the gym. He was older then, he was watching the younger men run about saying the event was a must see. He decided to go.
"Had I decided not to go things would be different. But, I did go and I did see Koga fighting his students. It was an event of great feats. I was amazed at their speed and lightning attacks.
Then Koga's most honored student took the field to show what the Shadow Clan had taught him. It was Antoine! My hatred surged through me. My anger clouded my judgement.
Sneaking away I used the crystals to teleport myself onto a small hill overlooking the event. Releasing Arbok I ordered it to create a poison sting. He sprayed needles at Antoine.
Antoine's speed was incredible as his preception. He saw the needles coming. Flipping away he took a ball from his belt. There was screams from the crowd. Antoine turned, a young woman had been struck down. Horror on his face, it was Antoine's wife Arbok killed.
Horrified at my own actions I prepared to teleport away. But, then I saw Antoine coming toward the woman. It was him but, an old man. For you see I hadn't just traveled to Fushcia I was in it's future. I had tried to kill Antoine's son but, I ended his son's wife. A young boy wept into his father's chest as he carried him away.
I sat there crying too for in my rage I took a mother away from another boy. Antoine's son may have lead a respectable life had I not gone to that cursed event. Instead his rage went on to create Team Rocket. It is my fault their evil exists in this world.
Pryce wept freely now. Everyone looked at him, how could this fragile old man do all this?
"It is worse from here I'm afriad. I used the crystals to return home to discover that I was not in Emerald but, Kanto. Arbok upon seeing Antoine's son again spread needles at him killing his wife in Emerald as well. Team Rocket haunts both worlds." Pryce grew silent.
I had no idea of the crystal's true powers. I knew I had to destroy them. I had to think of a plan. Since the legends claim they are unbreakable I knew I had to hide them. Somethign went wrong when I tried to send them to another world. I was sent to Kanto and my Kanto counterpart sent to Emerald, where a new pair of rods appeared in his hands.
I was horrified to find I created another set. I was attcked for the crystals by robbers. It took my forty years to find at least one. I never learned what became of the Pryce who was born in this world. Now you see what evils I unleashed. Please leave this old man to wallow in his stupidity. If any good came from my mistakes is now I teach young ones not to make my mistakes.
"Pryce, I'm sorry we dragged this out of you." Brock felt ashamed as he held the Amber crystal.
"No, it felt good to finally be able to speak of these things. To confess is freeing. One thing though. I can not figure out how both sets wound up in Kanto. The other Pryce never made it back then. If he had he would have come here to our hometown." He studied his whithered palms.
"Tracey! Brock's coming back!" Misty shouted on the phone.
"He is! Yes!" Tracey could hear Melanie shouting in the background.
"Excellent! Then it is assumed that he has the crystal?" Tracey was excited.
"Pryce surrendered it to him!" He could hear Melanie giggling.
"Best news in a month." Tracey smiled.
"What happened to you? I want to know?" Draco kept his distance out of respect.
"Go away!" She turned her back on him.
"Are we still friends at least?" He laid down.
"Draco you are pathetic! Like any other male!" She slumped her head over her arms.
"Why do you still follow me around then!" He shambled over to the woods. "If you think I'm pathetic! If you think I'm just any male then I'll leave! I'll go! Don't expect to see me ever again!"
Back at camp he slept with a burden on his heart and unanswered questions haunting his sleep. Draco had this all planned in his mind for years yet, when the moment of truth came Charcole abandoned him. Tears of a dragon feeding the earth.
"Chah! Why! Why let me see her again if it wasn't deemed to be!" Draco roared. This was the begining of a lifetime filled with questioning his god.
To be continued.......
-JLB