He lead a long life. Though the beginning was hard and painful he pulled through to lead a better life. After centuries his tail flame finally flickered out. His body grew cold and his mate wept.
"Stand!" A voice ordered.
"What?" He was confused standing he was in a black shapeless world.
"Chad Charizard you stand in trail of Fire and Water." A great voice spoke to him.
"The trail of life and death?" Chad's aged face became youthful.
"Yes, you stand to defend your right to the afterlife." An immaculate Venusuar emerged from the blackness. "I stand as your sponsor to your ascension into Chah's glorious Kingdom."
"Who are you may I ask elder?" Chad studied the symbols and swirls on the Venusaur, he was reminded of the paintings the Vileplume used in ceremonies.
"I am Fushigibana." The great beast sat.
"One of the Gods of the Vileplume!" Chad smiled.
"No! Not just the Vileplume Chad. Prejudice has corrupted the great religion, I was once a God worshipped by all pokémon races. Now only the plant races remember me and hail praise to me. I am also the defender of lost souls not just of birth."
"Lost souls! Is this why we are here?" He began to worry.
"Yes I fear that is why charizard. You were not absolved of your sins in life now you must defend your rights to Chah's Kingdom." Fushigibana sadly stared at Chad.
"Another God is asking for your damnation Chad. You I fear will be damned but, to which hell? The human God is asking you be placed into Lizardon's Hell. I have asked for you if should you lose enter Oroko's Hell."
"What crimes are we speaking of?" Chad huffed slim jets of flame from his snout. "Chizmo absolved me of sins."
"You killed two humans Chad! You even stole of flesh from one! Your friend Vixen has long been sent to Lizardon's Hell for that!"
"Vixen? She was absolved by Chizmo as well! This is a mistake! This is all a misunderstanding really!" Chad glared.
"Something is being done Chad." Fushigibana whispered. "Your son's soul for reasons unknown was admitted into Lizardon's Hell a century before your birth! I have sensed a rift in time Chad. Draco is damned already but, if he could save your soul their would be a chance he would be admitted into Oroko's lair where he will have a chance at reincarnation."
"Is that why you fight for my soul to rest there?" Chad scratched his chin as he thought.
"Yes, charizard." Fushigibana raised his head. "The judges come Chad be prepared."
"How will you get word to my son? If he is already dead? And how could you believe he can save me."
"If admitted to Oroko's Hell you must use your restless soul to call upon him yourself."
"You are damned to a Hell Chad." Chah finally said after listening to defense from both sides. "The human God governs over human souls and you took two. You stole from their flesh. I do not govern over humans so you must be damned by their God. He has already issued his judgment Chad."
"My lord of courssssssssse you ssssee he issss mine now!" A serpent slithered from the vast darkness.
"Lizardon, he is to be placed into Oroko's Lair. Since he did some good in his life I see it fit he should have his chance at rebirth." Chah waved his staff. "So I said it so let it be!"
"Don't worry your son'sss soul isss mine. He is damned to my Hell!" The serpent like charizard, with a flap of monstrous bat like wings it melted back into the darkness.
"Lizardon is losing souls in his kingdom. Most pokémon lead a good life and are admitted into Chah's Kingdom or the Kingdom of their choosing. Lizardon's greed is growing out of control recently. We the elder gods are tiring Chad." Fushigibana shook his great head.
"Chad? You are to come with me now." An enormous Blastiose rose from the blackness.
"Oroko awaits Chad." Fushigibana lead him toward the watery god.
"He's a water creature? But, I thought Oroko would be a fire type! Fushigibana this can't be right." He held his tail thinking of the water filled lair of Oroko.
"Look at your tail Charizard! Long has it gone out." As the Venusaur spoke Chad saw that indeed his tail no longer burned.
"In Oroko's Hell of limbo you will suffer far worse than you would have in my pitsssss!" Lizardon taunted. "The choices you made in life will return to haunt you! You will die a thousssand timesss to dissscover you will continue thisss endless cycle for eternity!"
Chad shivered as Oroko stood waiting. Lizardon cackled hysterically. Chad screamed out as he was enveloped by water and Oroko dragged him into his Lair to die over again for eternity. He tried desperately to recall the name Fushigibana gave him. Draco!
Draco grew weary, he hated to sleep these days. The dreams that haunted him. A charizard swooping upon a human and tearing flesh from the human's body. The Charizard spinning endlessly in a blue world filled on all sides by an endless lake.
"Draaaaco! Draco!" The dragon held a hand toward him.
Screaming Draco realized he had nodded off. Panting he wished he could ask someone to explain these nightmares. He wiped sweat from his furrowed brow.
"What is wrong with you!" Charcole snarled before rolling on her side to drift away into dreams once more. She soon regretted her words.
She rolled over to find he faced away from her. She stared at his back, her lips held her words in a vice grip. She tried to force the sentences from her heart out of her mouth yet they battered at her lips like a caged beast. She had once loved him but, she didn’t trust him, she didn’t trust any male.
Tears fell from his face as he studied the forest ahead of him. He was wallowing in his despair again. She held no love for him. He fought so relentlessly to be here, to be by her side yet she rejected his every attempt to win her heart back.
“Draco I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so rude to you. You did rescue me from the slave trappers. You and Ash.” She wiped away a tear, she finally forced the words out yet, she wanted to say more. She didn’t know what else she wanted to say but, there was something there she felt she wanted and had to say.
“Why? Cole why don’t you love me anymore? We had such a strong love in our youth.” He found her shifting to face away from him.
“Draco please! Just stop it! Stop asking.” She silently cried as she spoke.
“How can you ask me to stop! I loved you and you returned it! I remember almost every small, dumb, long, or even the few words we passed together as we held one another watching the stars. Or when we sat at the palace pond’s edge just watching the lazy carp splash about! My love is so deep and you tell me just to stop!” He placed his paw to her shoulder, he slowly caressed it. He debated if he should kiss her as he longed to.
Before his mind decided her tail slapped his hand away. He watched his hand as he was stunned by her behavior. He shut his eyes as he felt more tears well. He was rejected again and all he could do was just stand, he studied her slender form before he walked away.
She turned when she heard him walking. She was crying as she tried once more to force the words out of her heart and into the air. She curled her fists as she wrestled with her emotions. She desperately wanted to cry out to him. She parted her lips yet the words remained locked away. She cried louder as he drifted out of sight into the forest.
Draco roared as he flamed the rocks about him. He needed some release, he vented his frustration on the earth about him. He slashed at the trees and crumbled rock under his fist. He soon found himself slumped against a rock wall and he thought of the hens in his life. None held his heart captive like Cole. He had a lover four years ago and she was the only other hen he loved almost as strongly as Cole. She left him when her trainer moved out of state.
He opened his eyes he had dreamed of making love to Cole. He had always loved her and she had seemed to love him too but, now? He forced the whole thing away just glad the other dream hadn’t visited upon him. His thoughts fell upon that nightmare. Something suddenly snapped to him.
"Drowxena!" Why hadn't he thought of it. A Drowzee could explain his dreams maybe even suppress them. "I hope you can help me, Drowxena."
"So what are you going to do now? I mean the whole faking your death thing threw everyone for a loop." Nero tossed some kindling into the fire.
"I didn't plan to fake my death. Thanks to Misphisto I've lost the kingdom again!" Ace watched the licking flames.
"Well at least you didn't lose it to Team Rocket this time." Jenny put a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh! How comforting!" Ace looked at her then his sight fell on her hand.
"What now? Do we hunt for Ultra and the krell egg?" Nero stretched.
"I've had it with quests for now! There's no telling where those two are anyway." He fought so hard to regain the kingdom and what did he have to show for it. "I'll see you two in the morning."
"He's become rather moody." Laura knew it was because Angel chose Jesus over him, he was in love with that girl since childhood.
“Come on Ace. You know you want to kill him.” Loki whispered to him as he shut his eyes.
To be continued..........