CARSON

            Prince Carson Brightflame awoke to the warm breeze that drifted in through the window of his high tower where he slept.  Today was the day he finally got to become a man, his father, the King of Mt. Chimney Kingdom, had said. 

            Carson slipped on the tight leather clothes and gloves his older brother had bought him down at the market.  The ten-year-old Prince looked out of his stone tower window on Lavaridge Town below.  The morning sun had not yet swept over the volcano’s steep slope, but the town was already bustling with morning workers. 

            Carson was looking out at the vast blue sky towards the south, thankful that the Brightflame’s castle rested on this side of Mt. Chimney, the immense Volcano of the Hoenn region.  His brother Prince Brandon said the northern side of the mountain was covered in ash for leagues upon leagues stretching far into the unknown northern sea. He heard a little cheeping voice on the balcony, and smiled as he greeted his Spirit Pokémon who liked to sleep outside his tower room. 

            Torchic was a small, cute, and orange Fire type Pokémon that had hatched almost at the same time Carson was born.  “Let’s go, Pyro,” he said excitedly as he tickled the little Pokémon under the wing.  “Father will be waiting for us! We get to hear of his great plans!”

            Together, they excitedly bounded down the winding stairs of the tower made of thick black stone. When they reached the bottom, Carson proudly picked up Torchic and set the little Pokémon on his shoulder.  They crossed the courtyard made of the same black stone as the youngest Prince of the Mt. Chimney Kingdom gazed up in awe at the towering volcano smoking heavily today. 

            Carson smiled and waved at all he passed.  All the men of his father’s court were friendly towards him and Torchic.  He could sit for hours in the blacksmiths’ forges watching them create the swords that Lavaridge town was famous for.  Carson and Torchic would watch in awe as they hammered away with their hardened arms and create beautiful, yet strong and deadly weapons. 

            Carson finally arrived at his father’s chambers, this was where he was summoned to meet today.  “I wish mother was here to see me today,” he told his little Spirit Partner.  Carson’s mother was from the Sand family of the Mirage Desert.  Sadly, she had died in a sudden sickness after a vacation to meteor falls when Torchic’s egg had just hatched.  She would have loved to see how big and strong Carson was now that he was ten and learning to be a man.

            He walked in proudly, for this was the highest of councils in all of Mt. Chimney, and only three other men were there in the room with young Carson.  The first man flashed an approving smile at the boy.  Carson smiled back at his older brother, Brandon Brightflame, a man of twenty five years.  Torchic went to stand attentively at Brandon’s sprit partner, Combusken’s, side. 

            The second man Carson had never known to smile in his entire life.  This man was named Miguel Starfall, and he was about ten to fifteen years older than Carson’s brother.  His large blue Salamence, a Dragon-type Pokémon lay lazily in the shadows beyond the light coming in the window.  Miguel Starfall was the Chief of Meteor Falls, the giant mountain with a magnificent waterfall and city carved inside the walls of the cavern itself.  Chief Starfall was his father, the King’s, closest advisor and general over the military. 

            The final man in pitch black armor stood up and clapped his hands once in approval, a Blaziken stood arms crossed behind him.  “My son! A fine day indeed to join in our discussions.  Sit, observe, and listen for one day you will be in the same position as Chief Starfall over our grand armies.” Carlos Brightflame was as muscular as the blacksmiths that worked in the forges, yet his short beard was streaked with grey and his head was bald, save for the black stone crown of rock fashioned from the lavas of Mt. Chimney itself.

            “And what a day all the people of Hoenn be prepared for,” said Chief General Starfall, almost jokingly Carson felt.  “I’m sure I can teach you a thing or two about strategy.”

            Prince Carson respectfully bowed at Chief General Starfall.  His older brother, however, spoke up.  “Yes, brother, listen well.  Miguel Starfall excels at shooting your opponent in the dark when they’re unprepared.”

            “My dear Crown Prince Brandon, you would have us face our opponents honorably and lose rather than win with our wits.  Ask the dead King of Slateport what his honor won him in the end.”  Carson didn’t know what to say.  Did all powerful men bicker like the kids he played with in the courtyard?

            “You would be wise to listen to counsel as wise as Chief General Starfall, Brandon,” added King Carlos Brightflame, in the same tone as he scolded Carson whenever he did something his father did not approve of.  “Even in defeat, Starfall was able to rid the enemy of one of their greatest warriors, not to mention their King.”

            “A shame his young fish-ling wasn’t there, I had yet another arrow in my quiver,” added Starfall. 

            “Father, brother, my lord,” squeaked Carson, trying to understand what this great meeting was actually about, “If you don’t mind my asking, what is it we are discussing today.”

            His father, King Carlos, smiled approvingly.  “It is time you know, my youngest son, you are not a babe anymore.  A man must know, especially a Prince.  We believe the Sootopolis Empire means to strike on the mainland sometime, but we don’t know where.”

            “Are we going to fight them? All the lands are ours, we must get the other Kingdoms to fight for us!” Carson said excitedly.

            “That they are, little brother,” added Prince Brandon Brightflame.  “But the other kingdoms claim our lands for their own, and say our Kingdom is but a small sliver of it.”

            “Right you are, my son,” said the king as he gestured to the red shining sphere on the table.  “Even worse, Chief General Starfall here has received intelligence that the Empress of Sootopolis has recently found our Red Orb’s brother… and plans to use it to drown our lands and claim all the kingdoms for themselves.

            “Only our Kingdom of Mt. Chimney, whose right was granted by the gods to protect the land and rule over its inhabitants, can stop them.” Carson knew that his father was just informing him of what had already been discussed, yet still, he felt more a man for being in this high company. 

            “We have to tell them quickly, then,” said Carson trying to understand the plots and plans of the other Kingdoms.  “We must let Fortree, and Mauville, and Slateport know that we need their help in fighting Empress Glamour.”

            “They will not listen, these infidels who do not respect the power of the Mountain,” snarled the King.  Carson knew it was a stupid thing to say.  Of course the other kingdoms were wrong for not worshipping the Mountain.  “They must be conquered first, and quickly.  Once they are made to obey my every command I can lead the forces of land against the wicked power of the Sea Witch of Sootopolis.”

            Carson finally understood, and he felt a smarter boy, no, man.  “So who must we conquer first?  Will there be a battle?” asked Carson excitedly, Torchic cheeped in agreement.  The older Spirit Pokémon, however, maintained their stoic demeanor.

            “We will attack Mauville first,” spoke Prince Brandon as he pointed at the map of the Hoenn region that was sprawled on the small table.  “If we can re-claim the middle of the land, we can cut off support from the other Infidel Kingdoms.”

            “That’s where my plan came in,” interrupted Chief General Starfall.  “I will lead a small army and flight team towards Rustboro, one of Mauville’s loyal tribes.   When they see our armies amassing near Rustboro, they will come directly to my forces.  King Spark has always been rash to judge.”

            Carson didn’t quite understand what this would accomplish.  Miguel Starfall wanted to fight with a small army against the combined army of the entire Central Mauville Kingdom?  And what if Slateport came to help their long-time friends?  Even Carson knew that the dead Marsh-king and King Spark were inseparable friends. 

            “What if Slateport comes to help?  There’s no way you can win with such a small force?” he asked, trying to visualize the results of the battle that would take place.

            “The more the merrier,” smiled Starfall as he leaned back in his stone chair with a mischievous grin on his face.

            “That’s where your brother comes in, young one.  A man would have seen where this was going.  You mustn’t think like those infidel kingdom’s scum.  You must think like the Mt. Chimney man you are,” the King said as he motioned for his other son to speak. 

            Prince Brandon, Carson’s older brother stood up in his shining black armor, and gestured to the twin swords on his belt.  “The more men there are to fight General Starfall, the less men there are to fight me.”

            Of course, thought Carson.  How could I be so dull? Prince Carson knew that if he wanted to be a good Prince and later First General of Mt. Chimney, he would have to be smarter than that.