Breaking the Chain Update

Hey there, I've got some great news to fans of Breaking the Chains. A sequel is in development, and I'm planning to go all-out in this one. It will take a different direction compared to BtC, but I hope you guys will enjoy it. Not all details are finalized yet, and it likely won't debut for a while (I'm aiming for Winter 2013, after the release of Pokemon X and Y). However, here's what I have so far.

The fic plays with alternate timelines a bit. In an alternate reality, Aaron willingly gave in to Team Galactic, which in turn drastically altered the future. This version of Aaron is instead a tyrannical commander of a militia, with Cyrus as ultimate ruler. A resistance forms against the corrupt dictatorship, and Dialga, who is in the resistance, travels back in time to get the help of 'Breaking the Chains' Riley and Aaron to help them against the dictatorship.

Here are some notes regarding the fic. Review if you could about what you think, and any suggestions you might have. The sequel is titled: Conquering the Dark.

Conquering the Dark Planning

Set 8 years after Breaking the Chains

Breaking the Chains (1 year passes) Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (3 years pass) Black/White (2 years pass) Black2/White2 (2 years pass) Conquering the Dark (taking place before Pokemon X and Y)

Arc 1 – Establishing the alternate universe. Setting: a desolate Sinnoh.

Cyrus: Tyrannical ruler of the alternate timeline, he was made into the world's ruler. After AU Aaron submitted to him after intensive torture, the two worked together to propel Cyrus to rule his 'world without spirit'. AU Aaron made the condition that he would be instigated at second-in-command, which Cyrus complied with. The two wielded Arceus' power together after years of forging the perfect Red Chain using parts of Palkia's scales (who willingly betrayed his mother for the promise of power), with a bond that could not be broken. With this power, the three became tyrants, defeating every army put into their way.
Personality: A complete tyrant. His vision of a perfect world is 'one without spirit', and seeks to destroy all who oppose that idea. He commands Arceus (against her will) to get his power and his point across.

Palkia: Tyrannical torturer of an alternate timeline, one where Aaron instead made the decision to submit to Team Galactic pre-Breaking the Chains. He betrayed his mother Arceus to Cyrus in exchange for power underneath Cyrus' new government.
Personality: As top torturer of the new government underneath Cyrus, this Palkia embodies betrayal and shares a love of torture with AU Aaron. He's willing to stab anybody in the back for power or higher status.
Trivia: Has the nickname 'Judas' by resistance members. Unlike the biblical Judas, he does not regret his betrayals.

Arceus: Forced to be Cyrus' slave, she commands the power to destroy armies and opposing forces against her own will. The Red Chain keeps her held captive to Cyrus. She wishes to break free of her own chains to restore the world to normal, but no longer has the power to.
Personality: Formerly large and in charge of the Pokémon World, her personality shifted to being a meek and submissive Pokémon when her will was taken away. She no longer fights to escape their control, but she still wishes every day that things could once again be normal.

Commander Aaron: The AU version of BtC Aaron, ruling as Cyrus's second in command chief. In charge of commanding the military. In this universe, he submitted to Team Galactic.
Personality: Sick and sadistic, possibly more so than Palkia. He embodies every trait rejected by BtC Aaron, often getting a sick thrill from defeating the opposition. He likes to keep most of the opposing militia alive, so when they become his P.O.W.'s, he can slowly torture them to death. This thrill from torture may be associated with the torture he endured from Team Galactic before submitting to them.

Riley: Dead in this continuity. Formerly a member of the resistance.

The Resistance:

Mewtwo: The original Mew clone created by scientists in Kanto. Being one of the most powerful to ever exist (on par with Arceus, but is not enslaved unlike her), he escaped when AU Aaron's army invaded Kanto. No one aside from New Mewtwo escaped with him, as he did not have the proper time to warn anybody in Kanto or Johto. He teleported around from place to place, trying to stay safe. He eventually found refuge with the resistance. He has gained the ability to transform into a new form. It increases his speed dramatically, but makes him extremely fragile, leaving him to only use it when appropriate.
Personality: He knows how serious the situation of the world is, but still tries to make the most of every day. He is not the typical 'emo experiment' others make him out to be, but suffers from bouts of depression and wishing that he could've saved Kanto and Johto. Out of all Kanto legendaries, he is the only non-enslaved one. He functions as a double agent for the Resistance, gathering information from Team Galactic and reporting it back to the others so they can react to whatever Team Galactic has planned.

Dialga: A key player in Conquering the Dark, Dialga was the one who founded the resistance after her brother Palkia turned to evil. She hates everything her brother has become, and wants to return the world to normal, along with helping her mother break free of her chains to Cyrus. She controls time, and is the one that goes back to ask BtC Riley and Aaron for their help.
Personality: Resentful of her brother's betrayal, she is unwilling to ever forgive her brother. Inside the resistance, she doesn't talk a whole bunch. Unlike Reshiram, she is not very friendly despite not talking much. She keeps to herself and only talks to let the group know what to do.

Darkrai: The stealthiest of the entire resistance, his job is to frequently to use his shadow stealth to sneak into P.O.W. camps and teleport out the most important P.O.W.s out (but only one by one to avoid arousing suspicion). He also helps to counsel the P.O.W.s and help comfort and assure them that they will be OK.
Personality: The most emotive and understanding of the resistance, he is very kind and understanding of the emotional aspects of war. He understands the psychological aspects of fear, and will use his foes' worst fears against them, dragging them to an illusion world where their fears come true. He also functions as psychological support for the resistance.

Groudon: One of the best friends of Rayquaza before he had been kidnapped by the resistance, the lost of him has devastated him greatly. Nevertheless, he continues to move on, in the hopes of someday restoring a normal world.
Personality: Groudon is a rough-and-gruff character. Being the 'macho man' of the resistance, he lives up to the reputation by being one of the strongest members of the entire resistance. He enjoys a good fight, and even has that vulnerable soft spot underneath the rough-and-gruff appearance.

Reshiram: The wife of Zekrom, she is one of the very few married Legendaries. Her husband Zekrom is among the ones brainwashed to join the Commander's army. Part of her motive to joining the resistance was to restore the world to normal, but she also now aims to bring Zekrom back to normal.
Personality: Very soft-spoken, she is not one to ever say much. However, to underestimate her power would be a grave mistake. She can, and will, brutally kill you should the need arise. The only one she will not kill is Zekrom, due to her goal of hoping to restore him to normal. However, be kind to her, and she can become a great friend.

Keldeo: The sole surviving Musketeer of Unova, his former mentor figures and family (Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion) were killed protecting Keldeo from the Commander's army. He escaped the Commander's clutches by getting onto a ship bound for Sinnoh at the last moment. There, he met up with Xerneas, who introduced him to the resistance. He has personally vowed to avenge his family for their wrongful deaths.
Personality: Formerly extremely friendly and outgoing, his heart has hardened somewhat due to the loss of his family and mentors. However, he is by no means stone-cold. Get to know him well enough, and if he lets you in, he can easily become your vibrant and lively best friend. But if you betray him, he will never forgive you.

Xerneas: The only Kalos Pokémon (or living being from Kalos for that matter) to escape the nuclear bombing and hatred Cyrus had for the newly discovered region. He serves as Keldeo's mentor after Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion died protecting Keldeo from the Commander's ruthless army. He is of the rare Fairy-type, which makes him invaluable against the many Dragon-typed members of the Commander's army.
Personality: Being Keldeo's mentor, he aims to teach him everything he can. He also fights in battle when forced against Dragon-types. He also acts as an advisor for the group, and he and Darkrai are often good Pokémon to go to for advice.

Former Resistance members:

Zekrom: Brainwashed to be one of the soldiers of the Commander's army, he is ruthless in his tactic plans and in battle. He was a former resistance member before being kidnapped and brainwashed by the Commander himself. He worked his way up to a Major rank, and is determined to now take everybody in the resistance down.

Rayquaza: Also brainwashed by the Commander, he instead operates as the security guard of sorts for prisoners. He also does the torturing whenever Palkia and the Commander aren't around. He was also a former resistance member prior to being captured.

BtC Characters:

BtC Riley: Originated in Breaking the Chains. He was the one who adopted Aaron as a Pokémon after the events of the story. Since the 8 years after Breaking the Chains, much has changed about Riley. He is much more in tune with his Aura Skills, which he only had a cursory knowledge of in BtC. He is only able to use Aura Sphere, and in times of extreme crisis, Aura Storm. His Aura Abilities have other uses though. He has gained the power to read minds after much training (which he does not use unless absolutely necessary), and the power to 'sense' incoming traps. His roster has expanded to include two other Pokémon besides Aaron: Tyranitar and Metagross.

BtC Aaron: Originated in Breaking the Chains. Aaron has grown from being very meek, into very strong. He is still extremely powerful, and a key member of Riley's team. He will listen to any command Riley gives him, but also answers to his own God. Having overcome the tragedies he lived through in Breaking the Chains, he now lives a very happy life with Riley.

Tyranitar (Nick): Formerly under the control of Doctor Anderson in Breaking the Chains, he has happy joined Riley to train and live with him once he was broken free from his own chains. He has grown even more powerful under Riley's ownership than he ever has under Anderson's, likely due to not being mind-controlled.
Personality: Being broken free of Anderson's control had, at first, broken him psychologically. The memories of Pokémon he had murdered under Anderson's control haunted him for a long time, before he could finally learn to accept, with Riley's help, that it was not his fault that he had no power over himself under Anderson's control. He has since forgiven himself of his own transgressions and vowed himself to Riley and God, becoming arguably the most religious member of the group. Is rather optimistic.

Metagross (Magnus): Riley received his Metagross as a Beldum in Hoenn from former Champion Steven Stone, who Riley is a big fan of, and has a deep admiration for. Riley has since then carefully raised him, also being the only Pokémon that Riley has fully raised by himself.
Personality: Quite surprisingly, Metagross grew to be the cynic of Riley's Pokémon, despite being the only one raised by Riley since first hatching. He has become good friends with Tyranitar and Aaron, but unlike them, is rather unreligious. He personally doesn't believe in a God, but Riley feels no need to force religion on him, and believes that Metagross can choose to believe how he wants to. Regardless, Metagross is a powerful and reliable member to Riley's team. Serves as a contrast to Tyranitar's strong beliefs and optimism.

BtC Maylene: Just like Riley, much has changed about Maylene since the events of BtC. She has also grown in strength, both with herself and her Pokémon. While she can't exactly use aura powers like Riley, she makes up for it with the surprising physical strength she has acquired, including the strength of her Pokémon.

Lucas: The original Lucario who served as Aaron's harasser in BtC has grown into someone much more. While still somewhat grouchy and still protective of Maylene, he has toned down his hostility. He likes to think of himself as being Maylene's 'bodyguard' of sorts, even though Maylene can fend for herself. The longing for a girl he had was granted when he met Victoria, a Blaziken with the special 'Speed Boost' ability.

Champion: One of Maylene's first ever Pokémon along with Lucas, Champion (usually referred to as 'Champ') is now a Machamp. He has the strange peculiarity of preferring brains over brawn, despite his species preference of using pure strength. His battle tactics usually include a combination of his brute strength plus some clever trickery. He is slightly jealous of Lucas getting Victoria, though he is all right with it.

Victoria: A Blaziken from Hoenn, she is the most recent addition to Maylene's party. Maylene had joined Riley on his trip to Hoenn when Riley surprisingly presented her with the gift of a Pokémon egg. When she asked where Riley got it, he said that a local Pokémon professor gave it to him as thanks for chasing off a pack of wild Zigzagoons harassing the poor man. She was eventually raised up into a Blaziken with Speed Boost, even with Lucas' help. The two really got to know each other, and are currently dating.

This is what I have down so far. More characters are planned (like the obvious BtC characters) but have not been written yet. Once pre-planning is complete, I will start writing the fic. However, pre-planning will take a while. And again, the story will probably not launch until around Winter 2013, after the release of Pokemon X and Y. Any suggestions, again, are truly appreciated. I hope you all look forward to this fic. I know that I am.

EDIT: Keep your eye on this list. Along with my notes, this list will be gradually updated with characters until the release.

EDIT 2: Now, there is a oneshot set between "Breaking the Chains" and "Conquering the Dark" out now titled "Past Transgressions". It goes in-depth about Tyranitar and how he joined Riley, taking place several days after "Breaking the Chains". So check that out if you want to!

EDIT 3: With the addition of MegaLucario being revealed, I plan to incorporate him somehow into Conquering the Dark.

EDIT 4: This list is finished updating for now, but this doesn't mean that these are all of the characters that will appear. I'm sure more will appear later in the story, but the planning out of these characters is completed. Writing on Chapter 1 of Conquering the Dark will begin after the info I need of Pokemon X and Y is revealed, and Chapter 1 will not be released until after the games are out.

- AuraWielder