Chapter One: The Beginning of the End
The time is 20 years after an unnamed Trainer took the glory of the Elite Four for his own. On his quest to be the very best, he foiled the plans of the villainous criminal-mastermind, Cyrus. The Trainer pursued Cyrus to the top of Stark Mountain, to the confines of the Spear Pillar: a mystical place on top of the mountain, whose pillars were so high they seemed to pierce the very sky. It was here where Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic, used the Red Chain to tear apart the dimensions and summon the great beasts of Space and Time: Dialga and Palkia; but upon doing so he released the malevolent Giratina. Caught off guard, Cyrus and the unnamed Trainer were swept into the Distortion World: a place where the very seems of Time and Space were torn to shreds. It was on this battleground where Cyrus was challenged by the unnamed Trainer. Cyrus put forth amazing effort in the battle of wits that would take place, but just as he was about to take victory against the boy, he stopped; frozen by an unknown force. He suspected deep down that it must have been the spirits of the Beings of the Lakes, whose crystals he had stolen in order to form the Red Chain. Had he not been stopped, that boy would have been crushed; but fate was against Cyrus, and he lost to the hands of that boy. After defeat, Cyrus left the Distortion World and, for that matter, left existence as a whole. Without purpose left in his life, he drifted off into the underworld. It was not until later on that he would reappear, ready to claim the world that had been stolen from his grasp.
Thunder and lightning crashed down upon the Earth. Each bolt made the waves rise and crash upon the boat, shaking and startling the crew. To accompany it, a dreadful sound, like the popping of one million balloons. This was definitely the most severe storm Zarus had ever experienced. He and his men were traveling to the mysterious Shipwreck Grotto, a place where supposedly many sailors had met their doom. It was also the place where the dead could be resurrected; it was their where Zarus had used the Orb of Rejuvenation at least ten times. Each time he brought back someone from the dead, he was rewarded by the Undertaker for his services; the reward of life. For if he didn't do this horrible job, the Undertaker should surely take his life. The only reason Zarus was still living was because he had been chosen by the Orb; rather, Zarus was a young boy when he found it. He kept it safe and felt that it was important to do so, but he never realized why. If Zarus were to be killed, the Orb itself would die. How this worked Zarus was not exactly sure, but apparently the Undertaker knew enough not to destroy the object he needed so desperately. Every time the Orb was used, a body reappeared from the underworld, screaming at its awakening. For the dead do not like to rejoin the living; it is like trying to fall asleep, but failing. And when you finally fall asleep, you are awakened. Zarus was sure it must feel just like that. He hated his job, and rued the day he laid eyes on that Godforsaken Orb. He'd have liked to be able to throw it overboard right here and now, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not assume the willpower needed for the task. At times, he felt the Orb commanded him. After all, it was constantly on his mind. But this was not necessarily the Orb's doing; Zarus instead tried to find a way to overthrow the Orb. Doing so would mean certain death at the hands of the Undertaker. But Zarus hardly cared anymore.
"What good is a life of misery," Zarus thought to himself. "When all I do is to awaken those whose place I should be in? Will I be punished one day like the victims whom I have so wronged? Will I, too, suffer the pain of being awakened?".
Zarus and his men were actually on a special mission: they were heading to Shipwreck Grotto to revive a particularly interesting subject: Cyrus. Zarus knew the pain Cyrus had suffered; he had lived along with Cyrus as a young child and knew firsthand the wretched life Cyrus had been cursed to. When Zarus heard of Cyrus' disappearance, he suspected as much that Cyrus might no longer be living.
"Perhaps his cruel past finally caught up the poor soul," Zarus mumbled under his breath while repairing the mast of his ship. And now Zarus had to engage in the act of reviving this tormented man. The one person whom should have been left dead, was going to return to the land of the living.
Despite the vicious storm, Zarus was able to make it to Shipwreck Grotto. This was the only place the Orb would work, and he had to go here to revive Cyrus. The Undertaker had commanded him to revive Cyrus for the same reason he had revived all those other people: to strengthen his regime. The Undertaker had been interested in Cyrus, but until he was quite certain Cyrus had gone to the underworld, he didn't attempt to recruit Cyrus. The Undertaker thought that if Cyrus hadn't shown the greatest interest in joining his clan in the living, he might be a bit more persuaded if he had experienced death. All the people revived by the Orb joined the Undertaker. Being half-dead, their minds lost most of their willpower, and they would lose their aspirations. The Undertaker was interested in Cyrus mostly for his incredible brain: many times Cyrus had shown the world how capable he was. Cyrus' ultimate failure was losing to the hands of a boy, but the Undertaker would forgive him that one folly, and allow the mentally-advanced man to join his ranks.
Zarus dug a small hole into the ground, and he filled it with dust: this particular dust was made of the ashes of deceased, and without it, the Orb's power was minimal. Zarus remembered the horrible details of Cyrus' twisted life as he uttered the incantation, and he realized how grave an act he was about to commit.
As he finished the incantation, the ashes began to shimmer. He stooped down on one knee, and he closed in his eyes in horror of what he had just done.
In a place where none can tread, a man was laying down. He did not breathe. He did not speak. He just was. He was in a place of unending light. He would have lain here for all of eternity, but it was not possible. He began to breathe, and he slowly opened his eyes. In horror, he realized he had been awakened. And as he slowly materialized into the land of the living, he gave a shrill scream of agony. Cyrus' journey had not ended; on the contrary, it had only just begun.
Meanwhile, during Cyrus' absence, a new seat of power had been occupied. A mysterious commander named Charon had now become the supreme ruler of Team Galactic. He had schemed to himself to rid the organization of Cyrus and seize power from the organization, but he never was able to exact his plans. But everything had worked fine for him thanks to Cyrus going missing. He now sat in Cyrus' chair, working on his computer. He had schemes of world domination for himself, and with the assembled forces of Team Galactic, he was going to try and conquer the world.
Cyrus had awoken. He was laying in a dank, dirty cave, and dozens of men had their eyes on him. Zarus approached Cyrus.
"Lord Cyrus, former commander of Team Galactic," Zarus greeted him. "The Undertaker greets you. He wishes to offer you endless power." Cyrus laughed: a long, cold laugh. It was now that Zarus got a good look at the evil man. He had narrow, hateful eyes, and his blue hair was spiked. He wore his typical Team uniform, and on his left breast was emblazoned the letter, "G", the logo of Team Galactic. His laugh stopped, and he spoke.
"Your pathetic excuse of a leader offers me that which is already mine," Cyrus said all of sudden, coldly. "For I am Cyrus, master of the universe. Undertaker was never anything more than flea in a world filled with great, powerful beings such as myself." With this, Cyrus cracked his knuckles.
"I see there you have the Orb of Rejuvenation!", Cyrus suddenly exclaimed.
"It's too bad Undertaker never learned to use it properly." The men all laughed heartily. So much to the point where they never heard the incantation Cyrus was now mumbling. Zarus was the only one to notice, but by then it was too late. The last thing Zarus saw was his cursed artifact, the Orb of Rejuvenation, glowing a bright red and enveloping him and comrades in a flash of light. He then realized that he had escaped his poor life, and that he know resided in the cold embrace of death. Cyrus laughed coldly once more.
"Thanks for bringing me back, guys. I appreciate it," he said. "Now, the world gets a second dosage of my unthinkable vision."
