Legend of the Exile is a Pokémon fanfic written by Sparkleaf from 2010 to 2014. Started as a Take That! directed towards Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, it developed into a more Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire-centric story over time. The story revolves around a war between humanity and the legendary Giratina, the titular Exile, who seeks to wipe out humanity and all Pokemon who ally themselves with humanity.
The story follows the former Pokemon team of Aurton "Slick" Silversky, one of the Hoenn Elite Four. Though he had a key role in the fight against Giratina, Slick was killed during the fall of Hoenn. As such, his Pokemon vow to defeat the Exile in his stead. This leads them on a journey through the Sinnoh, Hoenn, Kanto, and Johto regions to defeat him.
This story is part of a larger series that includes a prequel called Exile's War of Vengeance (or simply War of Vengeance), which covers the start of the Exile's war on humanity. A sequel, called Crowning Gates is currently in the works.
The series page can be found here
on Archive of Our Own. It includes all four volumes of Legend of the Exile as well as the prequel story and some side stories.
This work provides examples of:
- Always Chaotic Evil: Dusknoirs, Magmortars, and Rhyperiors are cited frequently as members of the Exile's army. Dusknoirs usually appear as part of the Hexwraiths, who abduct Pokemon and drag them off to Pal Park to be killed for sport.
- Author Appeal: The second and fourth volumes of the story take place in Hoenn, Sparkleaf's favourite region. The fourth volume is also the longest, and takes place almost entirely in Hoenn, while the first three volumes tend to jump between regions.
- The story also tends to zigzag between Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and its remakes. For example, the Abandoned Ship is referred to the S.S. Cactus, as in the originals, while Mauville resembles its design in Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire.
- Blood Knight: Scarlet Streak.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Insyte and Lute are both on the good guys' side, despite being Dark-types, though they aren't exactly polite either. Ghost-types, on the other hand, are more often seen on Giratina's side.
- Doppelgänger: Kusaan, the Omega Warrior, is identical in appearance and skill to Sparktail. It is revealed that Kusaan is actually a Zoroark using its illusion powers.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Sparktail, Slick's Raichu, uses his tail like a sword due to the way Slick trained him. Later, he gets an actual sword. Additionally, the Swordwrit is a guild of pokemon who wield swords.
- Horsemen of the Apocalypse / The Dragon: Giratina has four lieutenants, each corresponding to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Horizon the Tyranitar (pestilence/conquest), Scarlet Streak the Garchomp (war), Darkrai (famine), Mewtwo (death)
- Older versions referred to them explicitly as the Four Horsemen, but this is not present in current versions.
- Mineral Macguffin: The first two volumes revolve around collecting the orbs from Pokemon Diamond And Pearl and Pokemon Ruby And Sapphire, as well as two additional orbs for Ho-Oh and Lugia. The Red and Blue Orbs also play a role in Volume 4 after Sparktail steals them and gives one to Thalia.
- Physical Gods: Ho-Oh, Lugia, Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina are treated as part of a single pantheon, the "Eight Columns." Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Shaymin form a lesser pantheon, the "Four Virtues." However, godhood tends to be imperfect and even questioned.
- Retcon: Sparkleaf, the author, is notorious for making revisions to his stories long after they have been completed. He is particularly notorious for doing so with Legend of the Exile, which he originally finished with 32 chapters, but later unresolved the ending and continued to 51 chapters.
- Reforged Blade: After Sparktail's sword breaks, a Blaziken blacksmith takes the hilt and uses it to forge a new sword. The new sword is less decorated than the original, but more comfortable to Sparktail.
- Sacrificial Lion: Ferricia.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Giratina, the Big Bad, was sealed in the Distortion World 2000 years before the story's events by the hero Aluxiver, and escaped during the events of the prequel, War of Vengeance.
- They Call Him "Sword": Captain Falchion, who is named after a type of sword. Arguably applies to Sparktail as well, as he wields his own tail as a weapon quite often.
- Unusual Euphemism: A few scattered through the story. "Son of a blissey!" is an example. Doubles up with Gosh Darn It to Heck!
