Axel and Raphael 2

	Axel’s vision starts to darken. It’s a sensation he’s familiar with before. “Yet another one of these, huh? Well, maybe I can make some amends with Rana, or maybe get a battle from Vega.” When he comes to, he finds himself not in front of the foul mouthed witch, or the elegant lady, but a man in an elegant white and gold top.

“Welcome. Thank you, otherworlder, for this brief summoning.” The man says
‘Oh, uhm..no problem? I’m kinda used to this thing.” Axel replies
“Used to?”
“Yeah. It’s happen two times before.”
“I see. You should step out of that mud you have found yourself in.”
“Damn, and I had just washed this trenchcoat today.”
“It should come right off.”

	Axel climbs out of the mud with ease, and it comes off his clothing just as easily.
“Looks like I won’t need to wash it again, good.” Axel mutters to himself
“Now, I will be asking you a few questions. Why? It is simply my role to ask.” The man says
“Fine. I’m used to answering questions anyways.”
“State your name and occupation.”
“Axel. Bird fanatic.”
“Bird fanatic?”
“Yes. Birds are so beautiful, so majestic, and not only that, but they represent freedom to me. The freedom to fly across regions with ease. Currently, I track down several legendary birds for the sake of helping the world understand their beauty. It’s more or less a life I live subsidized by the government so that’s why it’s my occupation.”
“It seems this topic got him to open up, good.” The man thinks to himself. “Now, where do you call home?”
“Home, huh? Thing is, I travel a lot, so I got a lot of homes.”
“And what does home mean to you?”
“If it’s a place that’s safe, I get to be by myself in peace, and I can sleep in it, that’s home.”
“I see. Now, how close are you to you family?”
“Very close. My mom is a real helpful person. She’s help me a lot in navigating life ever since I left to take on various pokemon leagues.”
“and what does that word mean to you?”
“I don’t know. I have my human family but I also have my pokemon family. It’s really hard to define it.”
“Very well. From your standpoint, what are your strengths and weaknesses? As a trainer, or as a person.”
“Why do you wanna know?”
“I am quite curious.”
Axel sighs “Fine. I’m a really good trainer, ever since I was young I had a fondness for catching and training pokemon. I used to be isolated from my peers, so I had to turn to pokemon for companionship. Combine that with the fact that I can be very driven towards my goals with the right motivation, that’s why I’m one of the strongest people in my world when it comes to pokemon battling. Therein lies the problem, if I don’t have motivation I am extremely lazy. Not only that, but sometimes I’m a little too driven. I used to chase down the legendary birds with the desire to battle and catch them, but those attempts would land me in the hospital. Furthermore, I’m really bad when it comes to social skills. I’m fine with these kind of interviews since I’m quite used to them, but put me in a crowd of people and I won’t say a word cause I don’t know what to say.”
“You said quite a mouthful there, care for some tea?”
“Sure.”

The mystery man pours Axel a cup of tea and hands it to him.
“The taste will reflect what you want it to taste like.” The man explains
“Oh, so that’s why it tastes like milk tea.”
“Milk tea?”
“Basically you take tea, add in a whole lot of cream and sugar to it, add some ice cubes and maybe these little things call tapioca and you get milk tea.”
“I see. Such a thing doesn’t exist in our world.”
“It’s nice, but it sure is unhealthy.”
Axel finishes his cup and the interview continues.
“Have you ever been in love?” The mystery man asks.
“You’re joking, right?” Axel glares
“I’m quite serious.”
“I’ve had crushes in the past, but they never went anywhere. Honestly, I’m kind of jaded when it comes to love. I’m twenty four and I’ve never so much as had a girlfriend. Some might say that’s not too late but it sure feels like it. I don’t know if I’ll ever find love.”
“I apologize for asking such a question. Now, what is the most evil thing a human being can do?”
“Trying to break someone mentally.”
“Go on.”
“There was this book I read, one of the villains had the ability to insert himself into the past of anyone he so desired. He used this ability to turn the main character’s family against him in an attempt at destroying the main character’s mental state by having everyone he fought so hard to protect act as if he was the villain. Not only that, but that villain was evil for the sake of it, as the other villains in that story had their own reasons for their actions. He even bragged that his ability could drive somebody to suicide, as he had done so before.”
“Intriguing, care for another cup of tea?”
“Sure.”

As the man refilled Axel’s cup, he began to introduce himself.
“My name is Raphael Cervantes. I summoned you here, in exchange for something you desired. You will wake up, and find whatever object you sought in the palm of your hand. That, I shall guarantee.”
Axel thinks about Rana, and how she really wanted that Rainbow Wing he had. He’d like a second one to give to her. If only so she could look at him with a smile instead of a frown or a glare.
“I suppose you must be tired from answering my questions, so allow me to tell you a tale instead. It is about this place you find yourself in.”
“Go on, I’m all ears.”
“This is Caliz, the very heart of Furia. We currently sit in the lowest depths in the entire region. This specific location, surrounded in black mud and bereft of life, is a grave. A grave for three.

You see, there were once five children. They all belonged to the same village, but were of different families. One of them was a little girl, daughter of village chief. She was kind and accepting of others, yet she was also very naïve.

There was also a god. Long ago, it is said that this god had created Furia. It parted the seas, brought forth the land, sparked the embers of new life and called for the wind to spread it all across our homeland. It is then that the little girl's village was founded.

Yet the god had tired from the act of creation, and thus fell to slumber. It entrusted to the village chief a sacred treasure in it's own likeness. That treasure was said to be able to reawaken the god and restore it's power. And yet it is said that the god would never awaken again.

Five children descended here, to the god's resting place. The four other children had convinced the little girl to take the treasure in secret, hoping to reawaken their deity. Children are innocent, after all.

Too much so.

After all, it was not their plan to start with. Children are so very easy to deceive, especially by their own scheming parents.

Five children descended with the treasure, and four were thrown out. The little girl clutched onto the treasure so tightly, yet she had already been caught in the trap. She held and held and held even as the adults tried to tear it away.

In the scuffle, the treasure shattered into four. From the god's sleeping form split off the waters, the land, the flames and the wind. The destruction wrought forth that day still scars the land even now, and the memory of the tragedy are buried deep within the heart of all Furians.

That little girl never made it out. In the cataclysm, she had been buried here alone. She cursed the world and its people with all her heart as she died. She cursed the children who deceived her. She cursed the adults who stole from her. But more than anything, the little girl cursed herself. “

“That...sure is a story.” Axel says
“Twenty years ago, I had compiled this story together with her. We spent a long time gathering information, examining local stories, and filling in the blanks through speculation. “

“History is a subject that intrigues me, so thank you for the lesson.”

“What does Furia look like to you, as an outsider?”
“I dunno, I’ve been here twice before and both times it’s looked like a forest so massive that the sun never reaches the ground.”
“To me, it is a collection of mistakes. Sins that have long since piled up so high that they blot out the sun. A history so drenched in blood and filth that it must be written anew. My old friend spent her life attempting to cleanse this place, bit by bit. She was a saint beyond all measure. Stronger than any other! And yet!

And yet. Even she met her end here in this accursed place. I'm sure that even in her final moments she looked towards the future. I can't accept it. I refuse to accept it.

Enough. I tire of this farce and you have already served your purpose. Now, there is one final duty for you to perform. “

“What is it?”

“Four years ago, two of the strongest trainers in this region fought here. During the battle, it seems that the beast sealed below began to awaken. It is that curse, the wretched corpse of a dead god, that took Arete from this world.

I intend to correct that mistake. Starting with you, otherworlder. The beast, through its mud, seeks a new form. Through its mud, it has already crawled through your memories and found a more fitting shape. Turn around. I'm sure you're more familiar with that creature than I.”

Axel turns around and sees the mud attempting to take shape of Mewtwo. Due to Mewtwo being an artificial pokemon, it isn’t capable of completely replicating the pokemon.

“You’re just a fake. I’ll crush you with the real deal.” Axel threatens, but as he goes to take out the ultra ball containing Mewtwo, his vision begins to blur again. When he comes to, he finds himself back in his studio apartment, with a Rainbow Wing in hand.
“Guess that guy kept his promise. How’d he do that anyways? Oh well, I’ll keep it with my other feather.”