Sinister plots to destroy the world were thwarted, but the threat of evil forever remains, threatening to sunder the fragile peace. New Champions, Lyra and Dawn, must unite as one to protect their homelands from plunging forever into darkness, but it proves to be difficult as they struggle with their new duties.

A/N - This is the third part of the Mark of a Legend series. To recap, Divine Destiny is a novelization around HeartGold and Ravaged World is a novelization of Platinum with some twists. I would suggest reading them both otherwise you may get a bit confused here, though it's not really super essential. This one doesn't follow the games since there's no game to follow, but rather acts as a sequel to both Divine Destiny and Ravaged World bringing it all together.

This was completed in 2016 actually, but I never uploaded it because I had 'retired' from FFN (for the fifth time heh). So, you don't have to worry about no updates because they will come (but I may need reminders since I don't come on here very often anymore).

Thanks to Nirianne for doing the cover for me.

.

Prologue

Gripping the edges of his bed sheets, he pulled it up until his face was covered, trying to provide himself with warmth. A snowstorm had passed earlier in the week, and a series of smaller storms had followed it, making it much colder than he was accustomed to. The cabin shook from the howling winds, causing Red to awaken from his sleep once again. This would be the tenth time this week this had occurred.

His pikachu lay down on the ground besides his bed, curled up in a ball, finding warmth beneath the thick sheets that covered his body. Unlike his other pokémon, Pikachu refused to remain in a pokéball, preferring to be at his master's side twenty-four seven. Red squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear his mind of thoughts, hoping he'd somehow fall asleep again, but his mind was alert, distracted by the sounds outside. If he listened carefully enough, he could almost hear the wind speak to him.

"You're a Champion, Red! Your people need you! Don't turn your back on them just to save me!"

"I'm not going to let you die!"

"I was already dead, Red."

With a gasp, Red bolted upright. Despite the cold, his forehead was covered in sweat. Once again, he heard her voice speaking to him, and sometimes, he swore he could sense her spirit here watching him. Pikachu, sensing his master's distress, jumped up onto the bed, giving Red a worried glance.

Red reached a hand down and stroked Pikachu on the head. "It's all right, Pikachu. We're not in any danger." Pikachu didn't seem entirely convinced, but he seemed to relax a little more upon hearing those words. "It's been years, hasn't it? Years since we both lost her…" he added, moving his eyes towards the opposite window. All he could see was white – no sky, no ground, no trees, nothing but white. A bleak outlook.

It was just as bleak as the life he lived now. Lonely. Cold. But he couldn't leave. Leaving would mean breaking the promise he had given. He had already broken a promise to the people of Kanto and Johto by abandoning his post, and he wasn't prepared to repeat the action. Perhaps he was just a coward, or perhaps it was simply a case of being unable to move on from the past.

"Don't be a fool, Red! Don't throw away your life for me!"

But he had walked away from it all just to be with her in final breaths. He looked down on the floor at the single carpet that lay in the middle of his room. It was right here she had died. It was beneath this carpet where her ashes were contained in a jewellery box. Red leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes fixed on the carpet. "What am I supposed to do? You wanted me to live my life, but how am I supposed to go on without you?"

He stood up from the bed, urgency rising within him. Every time he said the question, he expected an answer, despite knowing she couldn't respond in the usual manner. Still, she could've at least given him a sign she was listening. But there was nothing. No sudden movement. No floating equipment. Nothing outside the usual weather. Just silence.

"Give me something – anything – please, I beg of you!"

Still nothing. With a cry of frustration, Red fell to his knees, and bowed his head. Tears threatened to spill, but he held them back, not wanting to let his anger control him. Perhaps Blue was right – perhaps in choosing to remain here on Mt Silver, he had sacrificed his sanity, and lost a part of his soul in exchange to be with her.

"We both loved her Red, but she was beyond saving."

"No… You didn't love her like I did. You left, Blue. You turned your back on her, so you could continue on with your miserable life!"

"Because that's what she wanted, Red! She wanted us to move forward, but you cling onto the past, unable to move on! Maybe it's a good thing that you've resigned – you don't have the heart to be a Champion the people need."

You don't have the heart to be a Champion the people need. Blue's words had stung, especially coming from someone like him, who often claimed he only wanted to be a Champion, so he could crush people and humiliate them. More lies of course, but Blue had managed to play the role of a jerk so well he had everyone fooled. Everyone excluding Red and her.

Leaf. She had been born in Pallet Town too and was often seen alone. At first, he had assumed she disliked people, but he soon learned that wasn't the case. Leaf had been fighting an incurable brain tumour since birth and had chosen to distance herself from people, not wanting them to grow too attached to her, so the pain of loss would be less painful.

He saw something in Leaf that reminded him of himself. He didn't suffer from a disease, but he too had chosen to keep his distance away from people, preferring his own company over others. Most people saw him as a 'mute' because he didn't talk, but the reality was, he only spoke when it was necessary.

"You don't understand, Blue! I let her in, and I don't let people in."

Leaf had chosen to climb Mt Silver to die in peace away from the eyes of the public. Blue separated himself from the grief by turning his back, but Red had chased after her, leaving the title of Champion to Lance. The world was no longer a concern to him; when Leaf had died, he had lost all hope and care. It always amazed him how some could remain invisible, but others were visible to you.

Red turned his head away from the grave site and made his way to the front door. The wind had blown it open, allowing the cold bitter air inside. He pressed his back against it to keep it shut. Pikachu bounded over to assist. With their combined efforts, they managed to hold the door down. Red leaned his head against the wooden frame, drawing in deep breaths, keeping his back against it. He could feel the wind attacking the door relentlessly; it was almost as if there was someone on the other side, ramming into the door with a ram or something similar. Every now and then, he felt himself slip, but he managed to regather his composure.

"Hold on, Pikachu! The wind will soon die down!"

The door creaked and strained against the power of the wind – it was only because of Pikachu and Red's strength that the door even remained on its hinges still, but they were fighting a losing battle. His energy was depleting, and his grip on the floorboards was slipping, yet the wind remained strong.

Then the wind ceased. All was silent and still, as if someone had pressed the 'stop' button on a remote control. Red glanced down at his companion, an eyebrow raised. Pikachu too peered up at him with confusion – what in the name of Arceus? With the wind no longer being a threat, Red moved away from the door then turned back around to open it.

He poked his head outside and observed his surroundings – all white. He couldn't even catch a glimpse of green from the nearby trees. How strange. Something didn't feel quite right. He took a step outside immediately feeling the cold brush up against his exposed skin. Pikachu remained close to his side, obviously shaken by something. His ears were erect, and constantly moving in different directions, picking up on noises human ears couldn't detect.

"What do you hear, Pikachu?"

Pikachu scurried forwards on all fours, keeping his tail lowered. Red followed his friend, straying further away from the safety of the cabin, and into the untamed environment. Normally, he'd spot a couple of abomasnow walking around the area, but there were none today. It was almost as if the violent snowstorms had blown them off the mountain.

It was discomforting, and only served to highlight something was wrong. He quickened his pace, and found Pikachu standing on the edge of the mountain, gazing up at the sky, his gaze unflinching. Red knelt beside him and peered up at the sky, trying to figure out what Pikachu was looking at. All he could see was layers of thick cloud.

Then it emerged, parting the clouds, allowing a single beam of sunlight to shine down to the ground. An avian creature with brilliant blue feathers appeared, its wings glittering like crystals in the light. The bird beat its wings causing snowflakes to flutter down, as a cold chill gripped Red's body. It was like taking a bath in a tub full of only ice cubes.

"Articuno," he murmured.

The clouds above Articuno merged again, closing off the sunlight from reaching the earth. He hadn't seen Articuno in years since releasing the bird back into the wild, but now it stood before him, giving him an icy stare. Red climbed to his feet. The recent storms in the past week could only have been caused by Articuno – was the bird trying to warn him of something?

"You sense danger, don't you? That's why you returned here." When he had come to Mt Silver in the first place, it was Articuno who had guided him to reach the top. It was believed the legendary bird only appeared before doomed travellers in icy regions. The bird could not communicate with human speech, but it seemed to understand him, and nodded.

If Articuno was present, it must mean that both Zapdos and Moltres were making their presence known to the public again. His earlier suspicions had been correct – something was wrong, and the Winged Mirages knew it too. Articuno gestured towards the mountain's only exit. "You want me to leave? You know I can't do that. I left civilisation to be here."

Articuno made a noise which sounded a bit like a parrot mimicking a dog's bark. The temperature dropped even further, and Red could feel his insides starting to freeze, as he inhaled cold air. Shards of ice started to form on Pikachu's body. Articuno was not pleased with his choice of words. His ears picked up on a faint rumbling noise from the other side of the mountain, or at least what he thought was the other side. Such thoughts were erased from his mind as he felt the ground beneath him vibrate.

Not an earthquake – that wasn't Articuno's power, but rather an avalanche. Red bent down to pick up Pikachu, holding the rodent close to his chest, then glared up at Articuno. "This is my home! Are you going to ruin what I have here?" he demanded. Perhaps his words were wasted on the bird, but he wanted to try. "Show me what it is that I have to fear!"

The roar of ice moving stopped. Articuno flapped its wings again, this time conjuring up a powerful wind. The snowflakes were thrown in all directions, seeming to be at random, until Red noticed they were forming a shape. He studied the snowflakes carefully, trying to make out just exactly what image Articuno was attempting to portray. It was of a bipedal creature with a long thick tail, but there wasn't enough detail to understand it.

"I don't… understand…" Red said, squinting.

Articuno made a barking-type noise again, manipulating the wind again, to create a mini funnel exiting the creature's mouth, blowing a few stray snowflakes out of the way. Red's eyes widened. That was familiar. He had seen it before when exploring the underground caverns of Cerulean Caves before setting off for Mt Silver.

He looked at the creature made of snowflakes again. The bipedal creature… it matched the description of the pokémon that rested at the bottom of the caves. The same pokémon he had abandoned many years ago. Mewtwo had awakened.

.

Reviews are much appreciated, as always!