Ghetsis's Harmonia Kingdom. Located in Pyrestar's universe.
Ghetsis sat there, contemplating constantly. Ever since his defeat back at Saddle-Arabia, his thoughts have been swarming about his head. He knew he had been defeated, but he was still standing strong. He did have a plan to cease victory over all of Equestria soon. He was just waiting for the right opportunity.
In the meantime, Ghetsis decided to pay a visit to the Changeling Hive. His alliance with Queen Chrysalis meant that they had the same idea in mind of overthrowing Equestria. Even though they both have different ways of approaching it.
Every time Ghetsis arrived at the hive, his presence there was acknowledged. The Changelings were actually terrified of Ghetsis. So much so that they even retreat back into their cocoons and holes. If they heard the sound of his staff hitting the ground, they scurried away. If they even heard he was arriving here, into hiding they go.
"Ghetsis. What brings you here?" Chrysalis walked up to him.
"I'm only here to see some progress. Have you managed to feed on any significant love?"
"Of course I have. The most significant one I've gotten my hooves on so far has been that Adagio we're alliance with. She may not look the part, but the love she shares for her sisters is a real treat. Possibly the best I've fed on so far other than Shining Armor and Cadence. Strange how she never admits all that love, actually."
"Isn't it obvious? She's hiding her true feelings for her family." Ghetsis walked by Chrysalis. "Only natural for family to do so. I wouldn't expect you to understand that."
"And how would you know?"
"I don't need to tell you that." Ghetsis took his leave, exiting the Changeling Hive.
"Hmph. How rude." Chrysalis scoffed.
Ghetsis wasn't just here for a visit. At times, he tends to come here to ease his mind. Not inside the hive, but outside. And outside was Adagio who also tends to stay outside of the hive. She heard the footsteps of Ghetsis, recognizing it instantly. She turned around to see the leader of Team Plasma standing before her.
"Ghetsis? What do you want?"
"I come here to clear my mind in case I cannot think straight. I already know that you're out here due to your conflicting emotions."
"Conflicting emotions? What makes you think I'm conflicted in any way?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You're conflicted about your sisters." Ghetsis noticed.
"Fine. That's obvious. But why should you care? You don't have any family."
"How idiotic can you be? Everyone has family in one way or another. So do I. Especially that pathetic son of mine N."
"Heh. What? Did he defeat you as well?"
"Sadly yes. If I had known he would develop that much in strength, I would've changed the way I raised him."
"What? You raised him to be strong right? Guess that came back to bite you." Adagio chuckled.
"I raised him the same way my parents did. With absolute power. However, that power turned against me at the last second. How aggravating."
"Your parents raised you to be this? Guess they didn't do a bad job since you're pretty intimidating, honestly."
"They never raised me to be like this. I became like this on my own. My parents never contributed to my growth. I found true strength by myself. Whilst they simply watched, unable to do anything."
Adagio's attention was all for this. She actually wanted to know about Ghetsis's family and his past. Despite Ghetsis's commanding and dark nature, the way he spoke when he's not planning to rule is fairly calm. Then again, he's always calm until he's pushed to his limit.
"What happened between you and your family then?" Adagio asked. "Just curious."
Chrysalis decided to eavesdrop on this. She figured that if she could feed on Ghetsis's love for his family, she could gain magic power so grand that she never even imagined it being possible to have that much.
"My mother and father constantly said that they cared for me. That they love me more than anything else. I was their pride and joy. However, despite all their affection being thrown towards me, they failed to maintain the other thing that was important to them. My father and mother were both weak-willed, unable to stand up for themselves. It was that weakness that led to their downfall."
Many years ago in the Unova Region, my parents were of a semi-wealthy family. They had enough riches to buy small bits of land here and there. However, they were insignificant in comparison to the richer families. My father would constantly be pressured into paying the higher nobility what he owed them. It was unfortunate that he managed to get himself caught up with a nobility such as that. And no matter what, he couldn't do anything due to them having high amounts of authority and power of over hm. On that day, I had no clue on what was bound to happen later on.
"Here you are, Ghetsis." His mother spoke to him. "We thought long and hard about it, but your father and I have decided on what your first Pokemon shall be. Here you go." She had in her a Deino. Small, unable to see due to what's over its face and a biter.
"What is it?" A very young Ghetsis asked. Today was his 10th birthday and this was his first Pokemon gifted to him.
"A Deino. I found him near the gardens. He seemed to be very lost and confused the poor thing. But then again, Deino's cannot really see."
"Dei!"
"Oh. This is my birthday gift?" Ghetsis went up to Deino. The Irate Pokemon gave its greetings by biting on his right arm. "Ow!" He pulled his arm back, blowing on it.
"Sorry, Ghetsis honey. He's a bit of a biter."
"I can see that. Where's dad. Isn't my 10th birthday celebration about to begin?"
"Your father is a bit occupied right now...He still has a lot to pay for today. But no need to worry. He will be here in time, okay? Head to your room and play around with Deino. Just be a bit careful, alright?"
"Fine. Come here, you weird creature." Ghetsis tried to grab Deino but the Irate Pokemon decided to run around the mini-mansion, causing trouble along the way. "Hey! Get back here!" Ghetsis chased after Deino, attempting to catch him. His mother laughed as she set up preparations for his birthday. Since this was the far past. Like insanely far in the past, even before Unova became highly advanced, the decorations consisted of gold instead of the usual party balloons. They still had cake somehow.
Ghetsis's father had finally returned, not looking too great. He had some unfortunate news that he decided to deliver.
"Dear, you're back. Did it go well as I presume?" His wife asked.
"No...I have some horrible news that I wish I didn't have to share with you." He sighed.
"What is it, father?" Ghetsis asked as Deino's mouth was currently biting on Ghetsis's right arm. "Quit it!"
"The last of our wealth has been given away. Unfortunately, we will not have the necessary amount of money to pay them back the next time."
"All of it? Gone? Surely there is some left?"
"No. No, dear.." He shook his head. "Today I was requested to pay 800,000 Pokedollars. And unfortunately, that was the exact amount of money that we had left." He sat down on the chair. "Every last one of it is gone."
"No need to worry. We can just work hard to build more money. I heard that Unova is currently taking in many job offers currently."
"Maybe. But who knows how long it will take? What was I thinking promising that much money?"
"It was not your fault dear. You were just pressured to do so. I am sorry that I did not have the strength to defend you."
"Wait. What about my birthday? Are we still going to celebrate it?"
"Of course dear. We still have our home. Your 10th birthday will still take its course. And we shall make it the best 10th birthday possible!"
Even though they went through the horrible fate of losing all of their wealth, they still did their best to keep me happy. That determination to make sure that I have a bright future was something that I had admired from them. They continued to support me along the way, putting all their faith in me. And with everything they had left, they gave me a birthday that I never forgot. Even to this day. Unfortunately, two days prior, the unthinkable happened.
My father who went to work in order to build up his wealth once more had come across the same people who he paid up to. It turns out that the next time my father had to pay was only two days away. And due to him having no funds to keep his promise, he was unfortunately given a pain-inducing punishment along with some new news that would spell the end of my family.
Ghetsis's father returned to his home, having a ragged appearance. From the looks of it, he had been attacked by Pokemon. More specifically owned Pokemon of the people he promised to pay up to. Some Fire-Type Pokemon had ended up dealing the most damage to him as he had a burn mark on his shoulder.
"Dear! Are you alright?!" The mother rushed over.
"...No. I am not." He replied with his voice having a small whimper. "I am truly sorry dear. Ghetsis. I really tried." He fell on his knees as it was revealed that a bunch of cuts were made on his body. Most likely from Steel moves. Ghetsis saw his father fall to the ground, tearing up.
His father at the end of the day was considered a wimp to many. It didn't help that he had a scrawny appearance and often stuttered when speaking to large groups of people. He was greatly shy, leading to him being unable to stand up for himself.
"Oh, honey." Ghetsis's mother held her husband, comforting him.
"We will have to leave this home soon. Along with the land. I will not have enough to pay for it. The job I work at only gives 6 Pokedollars."
"6? That cannot be right. My friend who works there is even 850 Pokedollars. Everyone else is...Unless..." The mother took a moment to realize why her husband was getting less. She then realized that in reality, they were only giving small amounts to just the Harmonia family. "Oh. I see." The mother lowered her head, standing up.
"Mother? Father? W-What now?"
"Ghetsis, dear. It pains me to say this but. We will have to head somewhere else in Unova. I know it seems as if everything is moving fast. But you need to understand, alright?"
"I understand." Ghetsis nodded. He was bright enough to know when his parents were struggling. So for his parent's sake, he went along with it. Even if it was difficult.
The entire Harmonia family had left their home since they no longer had the funds necessary to own and pay for it anymore. They were now travellers who journeyed across Unova, aiming to find a new home. Unova at this point was still recovering from a civil war that took place in the distant past. And the areas that took the most damage had yet to be repaired.
My family and I struggled to survive for the past months onwards. With no money and the ruined land before us, it was nigh-impossible to find any food. Or even any clean water at that point. We travelled across the land, searching far and wide for any sign of food and clean water. But everywhere we went, those who recognized us as the Harmonia family shunned as all due to the actions of our ancestors. As a result, we were given no form of respect along the way.
And it wasn't long until my father finally started to show signs of physical struggle. A lack of food caused his bones to grow weak, making it difficult for him to stay healthy. My mother did her very best to keep him safe. She tried everything she knew to keep the man she loved from giving out. I could only watch as my father grew weaker time and time again.
"Ghetsis. Time to head to bed. Castelia City is our next destination tomorrow." Ghetsis's mother said as she had some sheets that she took from their home many months ago.
"Alright." Ghetsis lad down on the cold hard ground as his mother tucked him and his Deino in. "Mother. Why are we even continuing? We have no place to go and all the food that we took from our home is long gone by now. What's the point."
"Ghetsis. I know it may seem hopeless dear, but that does not mean that we can just give up all of a sudden. Do you know what our family name Harmonia means?"
"No?"
"Harmonia was our far distant ancestor who existed somewhere in the Sinnoh Region. She was described as the Master of Harmony."
"Master of Harmony?"
"Yes. You see, long ago, a great and devastating war almost began between Unova and Sinnoh. From how everything was playing out, it looked as if the war was destined to happen. But Harmonia managed to spread harmony to both regions, stopping the war from even beginning. While it is unknown how she did it, her descendants said that she ended up performing something so wonderful, it brought peace to anyone who saw it."
"She must've been amazing..."
"She was amazing. What she did was enough to soothe strife and discord. A sort of cosmic balance in an odd way. That is why our family name is Harmonia. Another word for harmony. And ever since then, our family has been doing its best to spread harmony to those in need. But as you know, as time went on, our family had unfortunately become apart of The Great Pokemon War. Ever since then, they have tended to start mini-wars against people across the land, thus, eliminating the meaning behind our family name."
"Oh..." Ghetsis wasn't enjoying the story anymore.
"But. Your grandfather managed to put our family back on the right path. However, we were still hated by many other wealthy families. Even still, your grandfather persisted in trying to win their trust back in order for everyone to bond with our family."
"So...Grandfather never succeded?"
"He never did. But he had faith in your father. He believed that he would be the one to restore the Harmonia name. And I have faith that he shall as well." Ghetsis's mother looked over to her dozing husband. "Now. Night has arrived. Best to sleep. Goodnight, Ghetsis." His mother gave a small kiss on the head
The entire family slept whilst Deino kept on gnawing on Ghetsis's arm. And on that night, a stroke of horrible luck came towards the family. Intensive weather had kicked up with the force equal to that of a tornado. The family were asleep during this but eventually, they'd end up hearing and feeling the effects of the weather.
It wasn't long until they decided to cut their sleep short. The entire family got a move on, heading to Castelia, which is a long way from here. The weather was forcing them to find another way around the usual pathway to Castelia. The ground itself shook from the sheer force of it. They had no idea why this was happening to them. And that's when it was revealed what caused such powerful weather to take place.
The Legendary Birds were the reason. They tend to battle from time to time. And when they do, it feels like the entire world might come to an end. Thunderbolts struck from above, scorching flames raged across the land as a chill filled the air thanks to the three of them. And unfortunately, the Harmonia family were caught up in it. They never saw the Legendary Birds, but they saw the effects that were given to the land.
Ghetsis held on to his mother's leg, trying to not let go. But the wind was too intense for him. So intense that Ghetsis and his Deino had been whisked away by the wind caused by the birds.
"Ghetsis!" Both his mother and father called out. They saw their son fly off into the distance, unable to help him. And the last thing Ghetsis saw before he fell down further the horizon was the sight of his parents being engulfed by the flames of Moltres whilst also being struck by Zapdos's lightning. After that, he passed out from shock.
I barely remembered anything back then on that day. What I saw last was the unfortunate fate of my parents. I assumed that they were alive since my mother always told me to have faith to the very end. That everything would work out. But...when I finally recovered from fainting after many hours, I rushed back to the scene where I last saw them. And what I saw horrified me.
Ghetsis's parents had met their unfortunate end. Their bodies were charred with smoke rising out of them. Not only that, but Articuno's ice managed to deal the final blow instead of Zapdos and Moltres. They were frozen solid in ice. The Legendary Birds had left this area hours ago. Perhaps their battle had come to an end when Lugia showed up to the scene as it always does. But the fact remains that their battle cost the life of Ghetsis's parents.
I could only watch as my parents were forever frozen in ice. Ice that never melted, even when the sun rose. That was the last I ever saw of my family. I waited days and days to see them break free of the ice, but again, it never melted. But despite all of this, I stayed true to my mother's words. I never gave up. My mother would've wanted me to carry on. And that is what I did.
I set out on my own to travel Unova. Along the way, I searched for those who would aid me. But they recognized me for who I was. A Harmonia. So they shunned me to the fullest. But even then, I still kept up hope. Day after day, I tried to do my very best to keep my hope up. But as time went on, all that hope my mother told me to carry along diminished. Until one day.
Ghetsis was sitting near a lake with his Deino by his side. It had been a full year since the day his parents met his end. He was 11 years old now. The hope and faith that his mother told him to have was barely even there anymore. He managed to stay alive for this long by using his Deino to steal from others. Mostly at night. That's the only reason why he's survived. Although, he's mostly been eating expired raw food and drinking barely clean water. Then, Ghetsis pondered, thinking of where his future could go.
"...Mother. Father. What do I do?" He said to himself. He decided to try one last time to see if anyone would take him in. He stopped by a nearby house that seemed to be full of wealthy. Perhaps another nobility. However, as Ghetsis looked around the area, he noticed that this land was familiar. In fact, this is where he used to live last year. This used to be his home, but now its appearance is completely different. "Home?" Ghetsis knocked on the door of his newly designed house. He got an answer in the form of an unidentified family he has never seen before. But they've seen him.
"Oh? You. I recognize that green hair from anywhere. You're Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. Aren't you?" The unidentified woman said.
"Y-Yes? Can you help me and my Deino? We have been travelling alone for a year now. May we please have some food and water?"
"Hm. You think we would give any to a Harmonia?"
"W-What?"
"Your family has done nothing but cause mass chaos for many years. So many have been victims of the Harmonia family's actions. You shall not get anything from us!"
"B-But...This used to be my home. Please! Can you at least spare me something?"
"Used to be is correct, boy. Your family is nothing but trouble. Get lost." She slammed the door in front of his faces.
And at that moment, the lessons that Ghetsis's mother gave him had been thrown out the window. He tried to have hope and be kind to others. But ultimately. That all failed. And this was the moment that pushed him over the edge. He finally realized why his family suffered such horrible. It was because of their own weakness. Them being unable to stand up to everyone else. But for Ghetsis, that wasn't the case. Because he had the spirit to stand up for himself now. But not in the best way possible.
"It's your fault this is happening. It's all your fault my parents had to go through all of that." Ghetsis said to himself. "I'll make you pay. I'll make sure that you won't command my family ever again...Deino! Dragon Breath!"
"Dei!" This is the point where Ghetsis resorted to violence for the first time.
The next day, there was news going about how this specific home suddenly burned down all of a sudden. Many people theorized that it was the cause of a Dragon due to there being blue flames. Which they weren't wrong. It was indeed a Dragon attack. But one that was of command.
Ghetsis had destroyed the family that lived in that home whilst eradicating the place he once lived in. Ever since then, Ghetsis began his path on conquest. He now had a different belief in power. Before, he believed that real power came from the love of Pokemon and what his ancestor Harmonia stood for. Now he believed that power came from force and aggression. The only way to rule was to rule with an iron fist.
"I abandoned my mother's beliefs. Despite her beliefs being for the sake of others, they were weak. All they ended up doing was causing more and more failures along the way. I realized that if you try and keep your faith up, you shall only head into a path of disaster and failure. You cannot rely on others to make you happy. It is only by you that you can find true happiness. However, despite all this. I never resented my mother or father. Their weakness may have been pathetic and dry. But they were the only ones to truly make me happy. But now. I've found happiness on my own. And it shall stay that way. I shall never show compassion to anyone else. Not even my own son. That is true power!"
Adagio had listened to everything that Ghetsis had said. It was a lot to take in. She had no idea what to think. It's true that Ghetsis's past was unfortunate, but what led to that and the man he is today was absolutely unreal to Adagio. But what was even more unreal was the shock that Chrysalis was feeling.
She attempted to steal all the love from Ghetsis, but his hatred was too strong. So strong that it caused her own magic to act against her, almost causing her heart to fail of shock. She took some time to breathe as her heart was beating normally. It was at this moment that Chrysalis realized just how terrifying Ghetsis truly was.
Ghetsis had something horrifying that could destroy even something as mighty as love. Pure hatred. In its purest form
"Hmph. Perplexed are we?" Ghetsis laughed. He acted as if he didn't just give that entire backstory to Adagio and it wasn't a big deal. "Understand this pony. Abandon your sisters. Rely on only yourself. Only then will you be able to achieve great feats." Ghetsis took his leave, leaving both Adagio and Chrysalis speechless and reminding them of why he is the leader of this alliance.
Whatever Ghetsis does next...you can be sure that there won't be a slice of happiness left behind.
Chapter 176 End.