The soft gentle sound of humming caught his attention. It was so soft, the blue and cream colored Pokémon barely heard a word. The melody could've been compared to the voice of Meloetta; in his opinion. He paused to listen for but a moment. Surely, Cobalion would not mind, although he was supposed to be patrolling this section of the forest. Though, no one would notice if he took a tiny break.

Keldeo turned and silently tracked the noise. It was most definitely feminine. He had followed the sound to a thicket deep within the forest, until he saw it. Or, rather, someone.

The Pokémon saw a figure robed in a long, burgundy cloak. The outline of its figure underneath told Keldeo it was that of a human woman. In surprise, he let out a small snuffle, alerting her to his presence. She whipped around, and finally he was able to see her, at least, some of her.

The cloak's hood fell just above her nose, and revealed only an elegant neck and full, pink lips. Several strands of lilac colored hair were visible from under her hood. Other than that, the cloak covered all of her from head to wrist. The material stopped only short of her feet. The burgundy cloak was fastened with a tiny, purple bow. Her mouth formed an expression of surprise.

"What are you...?"

~I'm Keldeo,~ the Pokémon laughed a little. ~Don't be scared of me.~ she backed away.

"You... You can talk!"

~Of course I can! Almost all mythical Pokemon can speak.~

"Well, yeah, I knew that," she retorted. She opened her mouth to speak again, but a shot came from nearby, and she jumped, causing her hood to fall, revealing terrified pale green eyes. "Farewell, until we meet again, Keldeo!" She cried softly, then turned towards a hollow tree behind her, taking a bundle from beneath her cloak and placing it tenderly inside. To Keldeo's surprise, the woman waved her hand over the tree, and a wall of water covered the tree hollow before it became invisible.

~You know how to refract the light through water?~ he asked incredulously. The woman shrugged quickly, dismissing him.

"Just something I picked up somewhere." Now her face changed to one of desperation. "Please, that's my baby I just hid away," she said, pointing to the tree hollow. "I'm being chased by a hunter who wants to either capture or kill me. No matter what happens to me, please, take care of my baby girl. Please!" The woman pleaded. Keldeo's mind was moving so quickly in confusion; he could only nod. Cobalion would have to deal with him later.

~I swear it,~ Keldeo promised solemnly. Her face formed a small smile of relief.

"Thank Ho-Oh..." Both human and Pokemon jumped as another shot, much closer this time, rang out. This time, the woman sprinted off. Keldeo silently prayed she would be safe.

Suddenly, he heard no more shots. Instead, the smell of burning brush singed his nostrils. Moments later, the trees around him glowed orange, red and yellow. The forest!

Flames flickered in front of the little pokémon's eyes.

No... Not again...

He reared, and unleashed a powerful aqua jet towards the flames, but new embers only replaced them. His eyes widened fearfully as the flames neared the tree where the mysterious woman had hidden her child. As flames licked the trunk, the watery shield flickered in and out of existence. The baby would die without the water to shield it!

Knowing this, the blue and cream Pokemon dashed to the tree, forcing his body through the water barrier to grab the bundle with his mouth. He had just emerged from the water barrier when a flaming limb came crashing down in front of him, and he had barely jumped to the side soon enough to evade it.

~Keldeo!~ A feminine voice shouted from the grassland pokémon nearby. ~Look out!~ The little Pokémon looked up just to see another giant burning branch beginning to fall towards him. He was frozen, and would have been crushed, if not for the massive bull-like legendary who headbutted the debris out of the way.

~You must be careful, Keldeo! That could have killed you!~ The little one hung his head.

~I'm sorry, Terrakion.~ The green female legendary from before paused in her fighting and nuzzled Keldeo. Oddly enough, she glanced at the bundle in his mouth, but said nothing.

~Its okay. Just be careful,~ she told him. He nodded. The three resumed fighting. Keldeo spewed water at the fire. Terrakion launched boulders off the ground over flames to extinguish them. Virizion gathered the forest pokémon, and led them to safety. The ledgends heard a click, and their heads whipped up. A middle-aged man watched them, pointing a rifle at them.

"Perfect!" He laughed. "Terrakion and Keldeo are here, and both Cobalion and Virizion must be near. Soon I'll have four legendary pokémon under my control!" He laughed maniacally, and the little blue legendary huddled behind Terrakion in fear. Terrakion growled at the hunter.

~We will never bow to the likes of you!~ A majestic deep blue pokémon with golden horns kept behind the man, glaring intensely.

~You! You will not torch this forest, and not receive my judgment.~ Them man turned around, letting all know that the large Pokemon made himself understood to the human.

"Well, well! Cobalion! And, you're Shiny as well! I will make you mine!"

~Terrakion!~ Virizion shouted as she galloped beside Cobalion, ~ Cover Keldeo's eyes!~ The rock type grunted in agreement before standing in front of the little water type.

~You will pay! ~ He could hear Cobalion hiss. A glow came from his head.

~How could you destroy this forest?! This was the home of so many pokémon!~ Virizion cried, but a glow still erupted from her head as well.

~Together! Now!~ Virizion and Cobalion shouted in unison. The glow grew, and the man's scream could be heard for miles. Until the screaming was no more. The glow faded, and Terrakion stepped away. Keldeo looked up to his guardians. Blood coated the horns of both Cobalion and Virizion. The man lay on the scorched earth, lifeless. Two stab wounds could be seen on his torso.

~You killed him,~ Keldeo said numbly.

~It was the only way,~ Terrakion whispered. ~They did it to protect us.~The little water type didn't hear. He only saw the blood.

~He would have hurt you,~ Virizion said sorrowfully. Cobalion turned away. ~Aren't you going to say anything, Cobalion?~

~No. This forest fire still burns; we all must continue saving this forest.~ He rested his steely gaze on the young legendary. ~If you can't handle death, then you have no place with us, Keldeo.~ Virizion and Terrakion gasped.

~Cobalion, isn't that harsh?~ Terrakion asked.

Virizion joined in. ~He's still a child! How can you-?!~ A small voice interrupted the green legendary.

~Its alright, Virizion.~ The senior legendaries turned to look at their youngest member. Keldeo had his head down, then stood to his full height and looked dead straight at Cobalion. Any other pokémon would shudder at the little pokémon's gaze. ~Cobalion is right. If we are to serve justice, we must harden our hearts. That way no one can take advantage of us. ~ The water type's words chilled Terrakion and Virizion. He was the youngest; it wasn't fair to force this on him.

~Very good, Keldeo. As the Four Swords of Justice, we protect pokémon against those vile humans. Like the ones that killed your parents, and nearly killed you, with that fire. Now come, we are needed.~ Each legendary spread out in a different direction. Cobalion went west, Virizion went east, and Terrakion North; leaving Keldeo to defend the south. The little pokémon walked off, trying to forget Cobalion's words. Yes, the words were harsh, but they were true.

A loud wail rang out, and the Colt Pokémon perked up his ears. Yes, he had actually nearly forgotten about the bundle dangling from his mouth; she had been so quiet. Now though, he set the bundle on the ground and examined it. Bright eyes looked back at him from inside the purple bundle.

An infant. A human infant. All bundled up in a blanket, here beneath the trees. Out of the corner of his eyes though, he could see more flames snaking their way and so he gathered up the bundle again. Still holding it, he kicked up his heels; blasting water from his hooves as he ran. He set the infant down to let off a more powerful Aqua Jet, but a huge torrent of water was unleashed-hydro pump. This final volley of water put out the final flames in this section of the forest. He picked up the infant once more, and sped off to help the other three.

Terrakion was arriving just as Keldeo was, to aid Virizion. The grass-fighting type was very strong, but fire isn't her element. Terrakion used a sand attack to put out the flames that were licking at her boot-like hooves.

~Thank you,~ she told him. Together they spewed earth, rocks, and water on to the fire. Virizion sliced burning trees down so that they no longer proved dangerous.

As they put out the final embers, the Iron-Will legendary appeared. He glared at Keldeo, finally noticing the bundle.

~What is in your mouth?~ he growled.

~An infant I rescued.~ At that moment, Keldeo knew what to do. Cobalion hated humans, but Keldeo had saved this one. He would have to stand his ground against the steel type to prove that the act was not done out of weakness. Terrakion and Virizion had been too busy fighting to notice the bundle. Virizion gasped and ran forward, but Terrakion held her back.

~What say you, Keldeo? What insanity drove you to save the spawn of such vile monsters?~ Keldeo didn't even flinch. He responded telepathically so he wouldn't drop the bundle.

~The infant has done no wrong. It is innocent. A woman tried hiding her within a tree hollow just before the fire began. This woman said she was fleeing a hunter.~ Keldeo's eyes steeled to Cobalion's same intensity. ~Would you punish a baby Pokémon merely because it's parents were thieves? You call yourself a Sword of Justice. Justice is not judging one for their parents' mistakes, Cobalion. ~Virizion and Terrakion froze in shock; no one had ever spoken to their leader like that before.

~You would defy me?~ Cobalion asked with a raised eyebrow.

~If it must come to that, yes, I would, Cobalion.~ the colt replied, taking a fighting stance. Seeing that neither would back down, Virizion strode beside Cobalion. She peered at the infant, who had opened its eyes. Virizion stepped closer and sniffed it.

~The infant is female,~ she said to no one in particular. The little baby girl had large blue eyes, with violet specks in her irises. Any one looming could tell she was different; her eyes were innocent, but somber. What was the true story behind the woman who'd left her here?

~Cobalion, perhaps...we should give humanity another chance. We could start with her,~ Terrakion gestured to the girl in the bundle.

~She was left alone in a hollow tree. She would have been abandoned had I not stopped to speak to the mother as she was singing a final lullaby to her spawn. Young ones are a gift, yet a frightened human gave her up. Perhaps it was cowardice, or perhaps it was out of faith that she was better off without her mother. Can't we raise her though?~ Keldeo asked hopefully. Cobalion hesitated.

~We can raise hear to be strong and just, Cobalion. With the love and tenderness we share with only young pokémon, she can thrive,~ Terrakion added softly.

~We can raise her with our morals, and our codes. Teach her right from wrong. Please, Cobalion,~ Virizion pleaded. Cobalion sighed.

~I hold no hard feelings against the girl.~ He glanced at Keldeo. ~And Keldeo is right; she has done no wrong. Are all three of you sure we should take her in?~ he asked his fellow legendaries. Keldeo, Virizion, and Terrakion each nodded. Keldeo stepped forward.

~Yes, my parents perished, but I knew they love me up until their deaths. She has no one. The one person she may have had; has vanished. But fire nearly destroyed both of us. The only difference is that she is human.~ Everyone nodded in agreement with the colt's words, even Cobalion.

~Alright. We'll bring her with us. Raise her as our own. Teach her. ~ Glancing to Keldeo, he added, ~perhaps you're right, and she can prove that there is still hope for humanity.~ He turned to leave but Virizion stopped him. ~Wait.~

~We can't keep calling her "it". She needs a name.~

~Corona,~ Cobalion said. ~Its a human name that means 'crown.' The corona is also what surrounds the sun.~

~That's a great name!~ Keldeo said happily.

~We should raise her deep in Pinwheel Forest,~ Terrakion said. He turned to Cobalion. ~Sorry, but let's face it: a cave is no place to raise a child.~

~I'll need help,~ Virizion said calmly, but she was trying not to smile.

~I'll help! I don't usually stay in one place anyway.~ Keldeo piped in.

~Thank you, Keldeo. You and Virizion will take care of Corona for the part, but Terrakion and I will visit often.~ The goat-like Pokémon tipped his head to Corona's level. ~Don't worry. They'll take good care of you,~ he said softly. As if knowing this was a rare display of emotion from Cobalion, Corona smiled.

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That's the Prologue! I don't own Pokémon, Game Freak does. Thanks go to

@PowerOfThePokemon for this amazing cover.

12/24 update: prologue has be updated with revisions and edits!!!!!!