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- Victoria, BC
3rd party comes in to interfere while the other two are fighting. Classic.
Paragon (Pokemon Fanfiction)
- Thread starter krookodile11
- Start date
There are always people who benefit from war beyond the ones participating!
Remnants of the Great War [25]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [25]
Chapter 34 : AZ's Titans
Trees, shrubs, and stones all whipped past Sabrina in a blur as she glided over the forest floor. The foliage above blotted out the sunlight, and the copses of leaves all around her dampened the sound of the war as it raged on all around her. She'd selected a route she sensed wouldn't contain any enemies, wanting no delay on her way to the portal.
Last she'd seen, AZ's hooded acolytes were still surging out of the forest boundaries into an open field, where the Guardians were engaging with them directly. Past the field lie the burning town where she'd broken off from Ash and Riley, and beyond that sat Cameran Palace itself. Although it looked like the Guardians were holding their own, AZ's forces seemed endless, so sealing off their way in was top priority. She wondered briefly about how and where AZ had recruited such a massive army after spending so long in prison, but she quickly dashed the thought. That was the sort of question she could find the answer to later. For now, she needed to focus on her main objective.
Once she was deep into the forest, she slowed her pace, eventually coming to a stop. There was silence all around her, save for the river that trickled past beside her. She closed her eyes and extended her awareness beyond her immediate periphery. Up ahead lie the portal she'd been visiting every now and then for the past month. And as expected, as her field of consciousness got closer to where it was, she began to sense other people. Enemies. And lots of them. Some stood guard near the portal, while others moved swiftly away from it, no doubt off to engage the Guardians. And as the seconds passed, more presences made themselves known, emerging from the portal at a consistent interval.
Her eyes snapped open, the jade glow of her psychic power fading in her eyes. She knew what she had to do. Her gauntlets whirred, and she disappeared in an emerald flash.
She reappeared in the darkened forest in an area not dissimilar from the one she'd just left. She crouched down and started moving forward. As she moved, the forest thinned around her. After a minute of creeping, only a line of bushes barred her exit from the cover of the trees. Sensing no one looking in her direction, she brushed the bushes aside and peered past them.
In front of her lay that massive canyon created by Albrecht's, no, Sir Aaron's Nidoking. On the other side, she could see the psychic dyad, now fully expanded into a swirling gateway of magenta psychic energy. A few moments later, another hooded figure emerged from the portal in a flash, stepping out onto the grass, nodding at their comrades, and racing off down the hill toward the battle.
Sabrina raised her hands, and her gauntlet's twitched, lighting up. Her fingertips and eyes both became limned in a jade light. From here on the other side of the earthen rift, she could collapse the portal without ever having to engage a single enemy. With any luck, she'd be gone before they even had a chance to realize what had happened.
As she worked, the portal seemed to flicker and dilate ever so slightly, though none of the gathered seemed to notice, minute as the decay was, and hooded figures continued to empty from the portal without delay. One by one, she shattered the nodes of psychic power that kept the portal anchored to reality. However, now that the portal was fully realized, and Sabrina could view its elaborate construction, a pervasive sense of unease coursed through her. This portal was far more complex than any she'd seen before. If AZ's base was in Kalos as N and Zinnia thought, then creating a long-distance portal all the way to Kanto like this was already extremely advanced to begin with. But this portal was stable, and showed no signs of weakness at all. Unlike most long-distance portals, which were created only to remain open for a few seconds, this one had been active for nearly an hour already. Whatever had created this portal was extremely powerful.
As she was peeling away the layers of outer energy which kept the portal in shape, a dreadful aura suddenly flared up from deep within the chasm before her, and a moment later, a deep black entity came slithering out, tentacles flying wildly as it pulled itself up over the top.
Sabrina's eyes widened, and she disbanded her hold on the portal, her full attention switching to the monster in front of her. She flung herself backward with her own psychic power, narrowly avoiding a sharpened chop from the creature's fin. The swipe cleaved all the trees before her from their stumps, sending them crashing to the ground, and fully exposing her. She landed on her feet in a crouch, and she tore a pokéball from her belt, releasing Alakazam.
It looked like a giant upside squid, over five times Sabrina's height, and more if one counted the wrigging mass of tentacles on its head. Two pitch black eyes were sunk into its oily flesh, and the yellow lights on its smooth body shimmered with an eerie glow.
On the other side of the chasm, AZ's men had taken notice of her after the sudden commotion, and were pointing at her, though they appeared to be deliberating between attacking her, or leaving her to the giant squid.
The monster released a repulsive aura that chilled Sabrina to her core. The sunlight seemed to dampen around it, and it literally looked darker around its writhing form. Although she didn't know what it was, she could immediately tell that this was this creature that had created the portal. She could sense the fellow psychic in it, and this one was terribly old, and terribly powerful. So powerful that it was unthinkable that she hadn't detected its presence immediately upon getting so close to it. Clearly, it'd been hiding deep in the chasm, keeping a watchful mind's eye on its portal to ensure it remained intact, but even if it had been suppressing its presence, there was no way it could've hid this much power from someone like Sabrina.
Which meant it was probably a dark-type as well, hidden to her psychic radar.
Sabrina swallowed, dread coursing through her veins. She felt bad for Alakazam, as she was surely transmitting her anxiety to him, but she couldn't help herself. Even the squid seemed to notice her anxiety, and its eyes narrowed in malicious amusement.
The spots on its body pulsed, and she felt her body turn weightless as she was lifted into the air. Then, her arms and legs snapped outward, and she felt a burning agony in her shoulders and thighs. It was about to rip her in half.
Alakazam! she pleaded.
Beneath her, Alakazam raised his spoons, levitating off the ground. A barrage of blinding stars shimmered into existence around him, and he cast them forward with a flick of his prone arm.
As the attack closed in, Sabrina felt the squid's hold on her loosen as it allocated some of its attention toward defending itself. She flared her psychic power, her eyes searing, and a moment later, she shattered its hold on her. Sabrina dropped to the ground beside Alakazam, but quickly zeroed back in on the fearsome creature.
Alakazam's Swift impacted against the squid's skin, each one exploding in a brilliant flash, but behind the newly created smoke, Sabrina heard a low chortle. She couldn't tell if she was hearing it through her ears or her head, but either way, the monster was unfazed.
Her mind reacted before her body did, spawning a barrier of crystalline energy at her side just as an inky tentacle shot at her. The tentacle glanced off, but before it could curl around and wrap around her, she lifted herself high into the air, and Alakazam followed her up. With a brief respite from the creature's assault, Sabrina looked down across the fissure. Hooded figures were still flooding out of the portal, but there was no way she could shut it down now. Not until the creature was defeated.
It burst into the air as well, wriggling and trembling with power. Before Sabrina could begin to formulate an idea of what to do, she once again felt herself engulfed in its invisible embrace, cold and slimy. And beside her, she saw Alakazam wince as he suffered the same. The monster laughed silently, filling her consciousness with its noxious evil as it crushed them both.
In gym battles of the past, Sabrina usually just decimated her challengers with Alakazam or Gengar alone. Apparently, gym leaders were supposed to have a diversity of pokémon to choose from to accommodate a range of badge counts, but Sabrina only ever used the two. They were also supposed to center around one type. If Sabrina herself wasn't a psychic, that rule probably would've been completely broken, rather than just horribly bent. However, the League left her alone, and her gym soon gained the reputation of being one of the strongest in Kanto.
They did require her to put limiters on her pokéballs, however, and she obliged. So, some were able to earn a badge from her. But, the ones that did were usually trainers with powerful dark-types. And she'd never cared enough to develop a countermeasure to them.
At least until she was forced to come up with something to take down Cynthia's Spiritomb before joining Paragon.
The strategy was simple, if not psychopathically demented.
Sabrina grit her teeth, straining against the squid's psychic hold. She forced her head to turn, bringing the creature fully into her sights. Its cruel mirth slithered inside her senses like poison, as if its very existence sought to deny her of any hope. Her eyes flashed as a fierce emerald light ringed her pupils. Slowly, the light morphed into a darkened purple, and her gauntlets creaked as they whirled ferociously around her wrists, sparks pouring off.
"Cerebral…Maze!" she bit out.
In an instant, the world began to crumble around her, fragmenting and falling, all its color draining away like rain down a storm drain. First it turned gray, then it turned black, and all its definition faded away. Before long, she found herself drowning breathlessly in an endless void. Blackness, pure and flat, stretched out all around her, without a single pinprick of light.
This was the darkness within dark-types. The unreachable, untouchable nothingness that no psychic could ever hope to snare. The darkness swallowed up psychic power like birds into a plane engine; the only thing that awaited it here was annihilation.
But, rather than try to grab hold of Spiritomb or inflict psychic attacks on Spiritomb, Sabrina had a different idea. An idea most psychics would find downright appalling, if not suicidal.
Sabrina immersed herself in the darkness. But this was no neutral darkness, which would have incinerated her consciousness on its own. This was the monster's darkness. She'd submerged her consciousness within its own. Through conversations with Alakazam, Sabrina had learned that experiencing a sensation like this for even a moment was an entirely unbearable prospect for any psychic. The empty darkness was the very antithesis to the active mind. It would drive a psychic mad if it didn't kill them first. It was as illogical as sunbathing at midnight, with a full set of clothes on, a hundred feet beneath the ground, on a bed of broken glass.
Useless.
Self-destructive.
And excruciatingly painful.
But not for Sabrina. Within the void of this creature's mind, like it'd been with Spiritomb, she felt liberated, like she was naked. She didn't feel any pain. In fact, she felt nothing. Her whole body was numb. Not that she was even sure she had a body here. She couldn't see it, at the very least.
And it wasn't useless either. Not to her. Within the dark, she could sense something. And she pushed herself toward that something. How she was able to move, she could not say. She couldn't even tell if she was moving on instinct, or if there was some rhyme or reason to her path across the void. That was the 'maze.' Every now and then, she'd change directions, though which direction she'd been going and which direction she was now going were impossible to differentiate. All she knew was that as she moved, that something got closer. In a purely one-dimensional sense.
Oh, and this thing was called Malamar. There were things she learned while in the dark. Names, hopes, dreams. Likes and dislikes. Love, hatred, and indifference. The emotions fleeted by her like sand, falling through her porous consciousness, but at least the name she could remember. Maybe because it existed beyond this place.
This place, she surmised, was a dark-type's soul. And she was frolicking through it as if it were her own.
Alakazam had frowned at her for coming up with such an invasive strategy, merely for conquering dark-types. Yet he offered no criticism. He never did.
Bathed in darkness, she swam, enjoying this blissful soul for the time she spent here. She'd spend forever here if she could, but she always needed to keep moving. Stop, and she really would be consumed by the void like any other psychic attack.
That something…that soul within a soul, shined like a pitch black orb against the pitch black in her mind. It made no sense. But she had no interest in learning about it. All she knew was that upon touching that soul, she would be removed from this place. And her opponent would be defeated. No dark-type ever had reason to protect themselves from a psychic. Which meant they were vulnerable to a mere touch from a psychic upon their most sacred spot.
There it was before her. She couldn't see it. Couldn't feel it. Couldn't hear, smell, or taste it, but she knew it was there. Slowly, she extended herself.
The soul suddenly lit up in all white, and Sabrina realized she could see it. Because she went blind instantly. She didn't even have time to wonder what had happened before her consciousness was suddenly assaulted by a deluge of old memories, and more. She felt herself dissolving, disintegrating, dying, and the creature's soul fell further and further away from her with each passing second. Feelings she had once felt and pain she had endured flooded back like a waterfall, beating down on her relentlessly.
"That is not my daughter, that is a monster!"
"Don't talk to her like that, you'll make her think she's like us."
"She's a freak! Did you hear what she said?!"
As her head smashed against the beer-stained floorboards of her house, sticky black tears bled down her face, and Sabrina cried out silently, but there was no one here. Consumed in this monster's void, she was like an infant dying in the womb, with its mother none the wiser.
Her childhood rushed back to her in a nauseous storm, and she was suddenly returned to a place and time she'd thought she'd never have to experience again. Perhaps this time, her mother would finish the job.
Lucario's Force Palm sent a hooded grunt hurling backward, slamming into a rock and slumping to the ground. Riley confirmed the defeat of his Furfrou, then moved on, leaving trainer and pokémon unconscious on the grass.
War raged on all around him. In the open field surrounding the town of Rota, Guardians fought back against the invaders in chaotic patches. The air stunk of smoke, upturned dirt, and fading elemental attacks. He nearly fell as he stumbled over a crater in the ground, hollowed out by some stray attack, but Lucario caught his arm, and they kept moving together. Up in the sky, the enemy rode atop Talonflame, Skarmory, Braviary, Honchkrow, Dragonite, and other assorted flying-types as they swarmed the Guardians, pelting them with rays of scorching energy and sharpened gusts of wind.
Riley ducked and spun on his feet to avoid fighting as best he could as he ran toward Albrecht Manor. He just needed to cross this field. Once he entered the forest on the other side, it would just be a short, likely peaceful run the rest of the way there. It felt like a needle pricking his heart every time he saw one of his brethren fall, but he'd made a promise to protect Anabel, and he intended to keep that promise.
At the very least, he did not envy Ash's job of engaging AZ. Riley wasn't sure how or why Ash and his friends had gotten mixed up with AZ, but clearly it had something to do with the World Champion, who he'd only recently found out was actually Sir Aaron himself. As one of Rota's senior Guardians, he was among a select few called to an emergency meeting a couple weeks ago, and it was there that Queen Ilene revealed the World Champion's secret. Even after seeing Albrecht physically transform into Sir Aaron, it was still difficult to believe that their king truly had returned. However, his depthless Aura brooked no doubt. He was the real deal.
As for why AZ was attacking them, Queen Ilene's explanation had been brief. The Guardians were AZ's sworn enemy during the Great War, and it seemed even the expanse of three thousand years had not quelled his hatred for them. In between training sessions and war councils, Riley tried to slip into the library to learn more about the Great War, though he'd only had time to gain a surface understanding of the conflict. When this ended, he hoped to return to the library to devour as much knowledge as he could about this three millennia-old foe that dared to disturb their peace.
Lucario knocked Riley aside and caught the jaws of a Druddigon in his spiked paws, barking to wake Riley from his thoughts.
"Sorry, Lucario!" Riley grunted, hauling himself to his feet. Close Combat! I'll back you up.
Lucario nodded and lay into the Druddigon, punching and kicking with a savage fury as blue Aura wafted off his limbs. Behind him, Riley summoned an Aura Sphere in his hand, then hurled it forward with a snap of his wrist. It arced around the Druddigon and landed on its hooded trainer behind it, throwing them to the ground. They did not get up.
Druddigon snorted in anger at being unable to defend its trainer through Lucario's onslaught, and in a fit of rage, it knocked Lucario off of it.
Ice Punch!
Frost swirled on Lucario's fist and he launched forward, closing the distance in an instant. Shockingly, Druddigon's fist ignited in a Fire Punch, and their punches collided, releasing a plume of steam.
Riley grit his teeth and waved the steam out of his face. When he could see once again, he was surprised again to see Druddigon's maw burning, rearing its head back to sink a Fire Fang into Lucario's neck. The dragon had his pokémon by the wrist, and Lucario wouldn't be able to escape in time.
Ice Punch on its neck! Riley commanded. If he'd had to deliver the command verbally, he never would've made it in time.
With his free hand, Lucario jabbed Druddigon in the throat, and the dragon stumbled back, releasing its grip. Lucario surged forward again and slammed a full powered Ice Punch into its chest, sending it flying across the field and landing a ways away, ice coating its skin. It did not get up.
Riley and Lucario both admired their handiwork for a moment, before Riley took off again, Lucario in tow. That Druddigon wasn't nearly as weak as I'd expect for a force this large. It was well-trained. It continued to attack smartly even without orders from its trainer. Riley took another cursory glance at the battle around them. It appeared to be a stalemate for now, but he could see hooded figures continue to pour from the tree line in the south, with no end to them in sight. Sabrina, please tell me you'll have that portal down soon. If this keeps up for much longer, they'll be overrun…
Riley suddenly clapped his hand over his nose as a rancid stench filled the air. His eyes started to water, and he felt hot bile well at the bottom of his throat. Around him, his fellow Guardians had similar reactions, coughing and sneezing. However, their hooded enemies seemed unfazed, and continued to press the attack in the Guardians' moment of weakness. Several more Guardians and their pokémon fell, but Riley's vision was blurry, and he couldn't even spare a pang of regret beneath the sudden assault of this odor of death. Riley spit on the ground, hoping he wouldn't throw up, as he forced some semblance of clarity back on his body. He heard several of the invaders snickering as he rose shakily, and Lucario glanced around in concern at the uniform shift in momentum toward the enemy's side.
"His Grace's pokémon are here," one said.
Riley's blood ran cold, but before he could fully process what'd been said, his attention snapped toward the sky as a shadow passed overhead.
Emerging from the southern forest, floating high into the sky, was the largest pokémon Riley had ever seen. It was wispy and dark, with tangled knots like rotten roots, hanging from its tenuous limbs. It floated silently, looking like an emaciated angel straight out of a nightmare. As it got closer, the stench got worse. Two thin winglike fronds wavered at its sides, and the locks of black rot hanging from its body blew in the wind, worsening the smell. Rather than seeing its tiny eyes, Riley could feel them sweep over the field, judging everyone in its line of sight. A low croak escaped the putrid nozzle that seemed to be a mouth hanging off its putrid head.
Disgust turned to disbelief, and Riley's hand dropped back to his side of his own accord. He wasn't the most knowledgeable when it came to pokémon species, especially the Paldean ones, but this one he did recognize…he thought.
"Impossible," he breathed. "How could it be this large?"
What is it, Master? Lucario asked.
Riley swallowed as the creature's head sunk downward. Its entire decrepit form hung, limned in a cold malevolence.
"That's a Dragalge."
The question of protecting Anabel was now officially a tertiary concern. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to protect himself if he continued advancing. He wasn't even sure he could make it out of this field alive.
Internally, Riley could only apologize. Anabel would have to wait. Abandon Dragalge, and it would murder every last Guardian here in an instant. Albrecht Manor wasn't far, and from its vantage in the sky, it would be a simple task for this dread dragon to simply float over there, over the forest, and obliterate it, if it caught wind of where he was headed. And he could tell it was acutely aware of everything in this field. Escape was impossible.
As Riley unclipped Aerodactyl's pokéball from his belt, he prayed none of the hooded invaders had found Albrecht Manor, and if they had, that they hadn't found Anabel. Because if they had, he could never face Ash again.
And from what he'd seen of Sabrina's Aura, she might be the last person he ever faced, should anything happen to Anabel.
Ash's legs were on autopilot as he raced through the forest. He could sense AZ's presence ahead, just like before. All he needed to do was will himself forward. Pikachu scampered at his side, sporting his usual determination, and Ash was glad for it.
Over the past month, Pikachu had undertaken perhaps the biggest burden between him and all of his pokémon. As the sole electric-type on the team, Ash had turned to him for counsel, if you could call it that, more times than he could count. Oftentimes, that meant acting as a guinea pig for all of Ash's off-the-wall ideas for how to use the Electric Plate. There'd been many nights where Pikachu collapsed from sheer exhaustion after being assaulted by Ash's untamed electricity all day. Not only did he never complain, though, but he continued to keep up his training regiment as best he could alongside the others.
All of them had evolved over the course of these past thirty or so days, Ash most of all. Now, they all felt ready to defeat the monster who'd once stood in their way.
And now, he was just beyond this thicket of trees.
Sunlight glinted off metal, and that was the only warning Ash had before his body was suddenly jerked to the side, his face inches away from a spinning slab of steel that hurled down from on high, slicing clean through the trees and carving a deep rent into the earth before his feet. Pikachu screeched beside him, leaping back as the upturned dirt showered back down to the ground.
Now on the ground against a newly created tree stump, Ash felt himself regain full control over his body again. He exhaled, keeping his nerves in check as he processed the situation before him. Thanks, Gengar, he thought, and he heard Gengar's giggling acknowledgement within him. Gengar had finally figured out how to insert himself into Ash without harming him due his poison, though with his body already fragmented among all of Ash's other pokémon, he could do little more than nudge Ash's body in the right direction when an attack came their way. But since Gengar's senses and reaction time far outstripped Ash's, a single extra moment of awareness was all he needed to be able to dodge a surprise attack like this with ease.
He rose back to his feet, and Pikachu joined him, cheeks crackling dangerously. They both looked up, sizing up the opponent that stood before them.
An Aegislash, as tall as the trees that surrounded it, floated motionlessly before them, its brass shield hanging in front of it. Black runes were etched upon the silver edges of its golden blade, and the shadowy arms that extended from its hilt thrummed in tune with its solitary eye. It was an unmoving wall, and its message was clear. None would pass to approach its master.
A grim smile slid onto Ash's face, and he pulled a pokéball off his belt and enlarged it. "Looks like we have a warm up round first. Let's deal with this quickly before AZ reaches the palace!" He released Annihilape, and a moment later, Ash, Annihilape, and Pikachu's skin all started to spark with electricity.
Aegislash unsheathed its ghostly blade from behind its shield, metal grinding against metal with a wailing keen. As much as a sentient sword could, it bowed in respect, before angling itself straight at its three enemies.
A second later, they all charged.
Next — Chapter 35 : Blood of the Slumbering Storm
Riley's Pokémon
- Lucario
- Aerodactyl
- Metagross
- Ursaluna
- Absol
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Remnants of the Great War [26]
You may have missed it, but I added in a highly detailed map of where everyone currently is in the war at the end of the last chapter. Please check it out!
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [26]
Chapter 35 : Blood of the Slumbering Storm
Land of Rota - West of the Town of Rota
A shrill shriek swept through the valley like a hurricane, burning the ears of everyone within, friend and foe. All at once, everyone participating in the chaotic battle suddenly clapped their hands over their ears and sunk to the ground in pain. Pokémon on both sides shuddered and tipped over, unconscious, but those who could weather the hellish onslaught trembled where they stood, as Dragalge's demented roar assaulted their bodies from within and without.
Riley was willing to try anything to shield himself from Dragalge, from both its overpowering stench and its incessant scream. Through the horrific vibrations that rumbled up from the shaking ground, Riley forced himself to focus as he conjured up small gouts of Aura, which he forced into his ear canals and up his nostrils.
Lucario grit his teeth beside his master, but upon seeing what he was doing, started to do the same.
Dragalge's roar continued, but even with his senses dulled, the sound still made Riley feel like his head was being split in two. This wasn't even an attack. This was simply a warcry to herald its arrival, and all who could not withstand it had no business remaining conscious in its royal presence.
Clearly, AZ had passed on the pride of his regal station to his beloved pokémon.
But that lofty arrogance also afforded Riley an opening, however small. Dragalge sat high in the sky, above the treeline of the forest surrounding them, and Riley was right below it, in its blind spot. Breathing through his mouth, he swallowed, and began creeping past it to attack from behind. Lucario hesitated, uncertain, but followed after his master a moment later.
Dragalge's shadow rippled on the grass beneath then, a lattice of darkness that seemed to block out far more sunlight than its sinewy body suggested it could.
Just as they reached the edge of said shadow, another shadow passed over them. A Conkeldurr bore down on them, its concrete slab raised high above its head, ready to smash down on top of them.
Riley's arm ignited with Aura and he reinforced his legs as well. He caught the concrete slab on his arm, and the ground cratered beneath his feet under its weight. He spun and let the slab roll off his arm onto the ground, before summoning an Aura Sphere in his other hand and launching it straight into Conkeldurr's face. The brute stumbled back with a groan, and before it could recover, Lucario dashed out from behind Riley and shoved it backward with a solid thrust on his iron paws.
Its trainer, a hooded grunt, whistled. "You Guardians are no joke, eh?"
After hearing his voice, Riley realized Dragalge's scream had stopped. He looked around the battlefield, but what he saw shocked him. Almost all of AZ's men, and their pokémon, had gotten back up, but nearly half the Guardians remained defeated on the ground. Impossible! That scream was indiscriminate! AZ's forces weren't spared, so how?!
"Surprised?" His opponent mocked.
Riley turned back around to face the man, glaring. As much as he hated to admit it, clearly, his arrogance was warranted.
"You should know who you're dealing with," the man continued. "Faith in his Grace has gifted us all with purpose once again."
"What are you saying?" Riley demanded. "Who are you?"
The man laughed, before slowly raising his hands and pulling off his hood. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a balding head of dirt-colored hair and lines across his forehead and around his mouth. "Do you recognize me?" he asked.
Riley's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.
The man chuckled. "Of course not. We're the forgotten. The defeated. The ones that fell short."
Riley glanced over at his Conkeldurr, at its bulging muscles and grim stare that showed no hint of fear. "You've been a trainer for a long time. Since you were a child, by the looks of your pokémon." He glanced back over at the man. "You challenged the League circuit, but failed."
The man grinned. "Only just. I earned the badges I needed and participated in the conference. It's the same for all of us." He raised his arms. "Every single one of us was a semifinalist or finalist of a League conference in the past! Do you know what that means, Guardian?"
Riley scowled, and Lucario shifted beside him, growling.
"It means we're all Champion-level trainers! Or even greater, since we've all continued to hone our skills after meeting Lord Vandrick! He gifted us a new purpose, breathed life back into our defeated husks. And this purpose is far greater than any meaningless competition!"
"I think I've heard enough from you," Riley said sharply.
Lucario blitzed forward, faster than the eye could follow, and landed a Force Palm in the center of the man's chest. He didn't even have time to react before flying backward and tumbling over himself, coming to a stop facedown on the ground, unmoving. Conkeldurr turned, but Lucario's fist jetted out with a lightning-fast Brick Break to the throat, followed up by a furious Close Combat, then a Low Kick, and finally, an Aura Sphere at point-blank range. Conkeldurr fell back, arms and concrete slabs splayed out, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
"Champion-level my ass," Riley murmured. But that certainly did explain these grunts' unusual fortitude and the disturbingly high average power level of their pokémon. Riley was one of the strongest Guardians in Rota and was confident he was competitive with a Champion, at least. But many were not, and with Dragalge's scream, their numbers had already been culled in half.
And who was that 'Lord Vandrick?' One of AZ's lieutenants, by the sound of it. Surely he was here now alongside his ancient master. Riley could only hope he wasn't causing too many problems.
He wrinkled his nose and unclipped Aerodactyl's pokéball once again. Once deployed, they would need to attack swiftly before Dragalge could respond. "Listen, Lucario. Here's our plan," he said.
Kalos Region - Shalour City
Salamence crashed through the front of the administrative building in a shower of plaster and glass, his tail raking across the walls, and he bellowed to herald his arrival. The lights above flickered as their wiring tumbled down from the ceiling, and Salamence spread his wings to declare his supremacy. This was his territory now, and any who approached would taste his fury.
Zinnia ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out stray bits of white plaster, and she clambered off of Salamence. Her eyes quickly took in her surroundings. The lobby of this place was empty, and she swiftly moved across the floor toward the supply cabinet that housed the secret entrance to the underground tunnel. Salamence stomped after her, but he remained wary of his rear. Their assailants would be right behind them in no time.
Zinnia ripped the closet door open. As expected, it looked like an ordinary supply closet, with boxes stacked up on shelves along the walls, and a faint scent of cleaning chemicals lingering in the air. She scanned the whole tiny room, but nothing leapt out to her as unusual. Surely there had to be a switch or some secret door that led down to the tunnel, but she really didn't have time to be searching for it.
"Fuck it," she said. "Bust through the floor, Salamence."
As Zinnia slid out of the way, Salamence bashed through the door frame with a similar disregard for decorum as his trainer. Rearing his head back, he released a stream of smoking fire from his maw, burning straight through the linoleum floor. The fire alarms and sprinklers both started to go off outside, but Salamence didn't let up.
"Alright, alright, that's good!" Zinnia coughed, waving her hand in front of her face to dispel the smoke. She withdrew Salamence's pokéball and recalled him.
Once the smoke had cleared enough, Zinnia stepped forward back into the room. Past the blackened hole, Zinnia could see faint service lights blinking along the walls of what appeared to be an elevator shaft right beneath her. She could also see hydraulic machinery lining the edges of the shaft just beneath the floor. It seemed the floor itself was the elevator. But there was no time, and now, no reason to go looking for a way to activate it.
Taking a breath in, Zinnia leapt down into the hole. The lights along the wall flashed against her face as she fell, and she hurled a pokéball down beneath her. It snapped open and materialized into Altaria's pillowy form, and she landed safely on her dragon's back.
"I'm awesome," she muttered. "Take us down there, Altaria."
Altaria obliged with a shrill coo that echoed off the walls of the elevator shaft, descending rapidly with gentle flaps of her cloudlike wings. The elevator shaft stretched down deeper than Zinnia expected, but before long, the ground emerged up from the darkness, and Altaria landed upon it softly. Zinnia climbed off, and they slowly stepped up out of the elevator shaft.
A breeze blew Zinnia's hair across her face and she shivered. The tunnel was huge, and stretched left and right. Save for a line of dim service lights strung along the far wall, the entire tunnel was bathed in darkness. She glanced in both directions.
"I need a fucking compass."
Altaria trotted over to the left and nodded her head down the tunnel.
"That way? Southwest?"
Altaria nodded, but her head suddenly whipped around.
From the pitch black right side of the tunnel, figures crept toward them. At first it was just a few, more more continued to emerge from the darkness. A second later, Zinnia heard footsteps to her left, and figures began approaching from the left side as well. They were boxed in, with the elevator shaft behind them. Zinnia moved back slowly, keeping her distance as they surrounded them silently.
"Creepy as shit," she muttered, pulling out another pokéball. "But this is more like it."
There had to be at least a hundred enemies gathered now, barring her from going down either side of the tunnel.
Zinnia released Tyrantrum beside her, and both he and Altaria narrowed their eyes at their enemies, sizing them up. Slowly, the figures began to deploy their own pokémon, and the cavern seemed to breathe with all the gathered power. Zinnia spared a glance at the elevator shaft behind her. If those grunts from before were anywhere close to as competent as her, then they should be arriving down here any minute now too.
"Stone Edge, Tyrantrum," she commanded. "Seal up that hole."
Tyrantrum snorted and stomped his clawed foot onto the ground. Three pillars of rock materialized behind him, smashing together and completely blocking out the elevator shaft.
None of the hundred grunts moved to stop them, and Zinnia smirked. Think I just cut off my own escape path? Well, I don't expect that to hold anyway when the others finally catch up. Good thing this won't take us long.
She sucked in a breath, and a frenetic grin split across her face. She slumped forward, arms hanging limp before her. "Yo! How about we make this a contest? Something like, 'last woman standing is the winner?'"
None of the grunts moved, but their pokémon growled and gnashed their teeth, barely containing their adrenaline. The sight of them only aroused Zinnia's battlelust even more.
"Well, I'm sure you guys had something like that in mind already anyways," Zinnia continued. "A hundred versus one is a bit unfair… When you're up against the Almighty Zinnia, even a thousand wouldn't be enough! The time starts now! Perish Song, Altaria! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Altaria's eyes turned blood red, and she screamed, scarlet lightning cracking against the stony walls and floor of the tunnel. Everyone, including Zinnia and her pokémon, shuddered upon hearing Altaria's song. In three minutes, all who heard it would pass out. All Zinnia had to do was survive until then.
But merely surviving wasn't her style.
"Kill her!" one of the grunts roared, and a moment later, the tunnel devolved into pandemonium.
Tyrantrum roared, and a fling of its tail sent a horde of hooded grunts flying back into the rocky wall of the tunnel. Azure Dragon Claws extended from his hands, and he swiped at a Rillaboom and an Arcanine. Meanwhile, Altaria plumed up to three times her normal size with a Cotton Guard, burying a throng of grunts and their pokémon beneath her, before unleashing a crackling Dragon Breath that swept a line of them off their feet.
Zinnia herself bounded forward, her eyes wild as she chose her target. A hooded acolyte close to her recoiled on instinct as she neared him, and he ordered his Sirfetch'd forward. But Zinnia didn't slow in the slightest, pulling back her foot and punting the bird square in the face, launching it over the crowd. "Bye bye!" she squealed. Its trainer didn't even have time to turn back around after following its trajectory before Zinnia grasped the back of his head and, using her full body weight and momentum, slammed it down onto the ground.
She landed in the center of a crowd of them, hunched over the fallen acolyte. They hesitated for a moment, perturbed at their target's decision to charge straight into them when she was so grossly outnumbered. But a second later, fierce glares erupted across their hooded faces.
"Get her, Parasect!"
"Mach Punch, Infernape!"
"Break her neck!"
"Ambipom, grab her legs!"
Zinnia cackled as they closed in on her. As Infernape raced toward her, she slid between his legs, then vaulted over Parasect's shell, narrowly avoiding its snapping pincers. Ambipom's hand-tails swept over her head just as she ducked down into a crouch, and she laughed uncontrollably. So much adrenaline was coursing through her that her body didn't even feel solid anymore. She was like a fire that coiled and stretched between her enemies, unable to be touched. But though she couldn't be touched, she could burn.
"How is she so fast?!"
"Just get her!"
The throng of grunts screamed as Tyrantrum burst through their lines, tossing them into the air with his mottled head, and shielding Zinnia from any further assault. He stood over her protectively, eyeing down each and every one of the remaining pokémon who dared to keep their sights on his master.
Zinnia clenched her fist and grit her teeth, turning up at him. "These guys were mine! Go back over there, this is my area!"
Tyrantrum grunted and took a step back apologetically. As a Medicham tore toward them, he quickly whipped his head around and caught it in his jaws. His teeth blazed black with a Crunch, and he crushed it. Before he could finish it, however, its trainer recalled it. Tyrantrum turned back toward Zinnia and fixed her with a look that said, you sure you're okay?
"Don't insult me," Zinnia growled.
Tyrantrum nodded, then tramped off toward the trainer with the Medicham.
A Fire Blast from Altaria on the other side of the tunnel lit up the side of Zinnia's face as she stood up. The pokémon that'd been prowling around her but kept their distance because of Tyrantrum now started moving toward her again, their trainers already defeated. The Infernape and Ambipom circled her sides, and the Parasect slowly crept up from behind. The Sirfetch'd waddled forward with a ruined spot on its head where Zinnia had kicked it, glaring her down and gripping its sword with obvious hatred.
Zinnia reached into her cloak and withdrew a thin black rod, amethyst grains twinkling on its smooth surface. She squeezed the rod, and it suddenly extended down to the floor and above her head. She inhaled and crouched low, twirling it to her side.
"Aghhh!" she wailed as she was once again batted to the ground. Zinnia, aged eight, clutched her bruised forehead as a tear began to well in the corner of her eye.
The cool grass and coarse wind of the Draconid Village should've, and would've been a comfort for young Zinnia. But today was training day. Which meant she had absolutely no time to enjoy even that.
"Don't cry, Zinnia. Get up. Let's go again." Her instructor walked toward her, the wooden staff that had bruised her countless times still gripped in his practiced hand.
She hated him. She hated that sleeveless uniform that he forced her to wear too. He hated his stupid monkish hairstyle that made him look like a Dipplin. And she hated those thin eyes of his that seemed to judge and disparage her every action. And even more infuriatingly, he'd just told her not to cry, but she hadn't been planning on crying in front of him anyway!
She stood back up, smoothly wiping her tear away with her arm as she snatched her own staff back up from the ground. As she shifted back into ready position, as she had done so many times now, she glared at him, determined to knock him down this time. For once. Not that it was likely, though, since he was ten years her senior.
He smiled and readied himself as well. "You know, this wouldn't last so long if only you arrived on time. You could be out playing with Aster by now."
Zinnia didn't respond. She was busy looking for a weakness, and his drivel wasn't helping her find one. Her eyes narrowed as she found his knee. It was pointed outward at her. It would probably hurt a lot if she smacked it really hard.
"AHHHHH!" she hollered, charging at him.
He spun his staff and his smile vanished instantly, back in battle mode. As Zinnia raised the staff over her head, ready to slam its haft into his kneecap with both hands, he jabbed her in the shoulder at lightning speed, then swept her off her feet. She crashed to the ground on her side, and her staff clattered on top of her.
He sighed and sat down on the grass, placing his staff in his lap. "I don't think I ever taught you to do that." The wind whistled through the bamboo forest around them as they both remained unmoving where they were. "I know you're impatient, Zinnia, but you must learn the basics. Without them, how do you ever hope to forge, much less wield a true Draconid staff of your own? You want to become a Dragon Master, right?
Zinnia didn't respond. Instead, her hand found the end of her staff, and, still lying on her back, she jammed it toward her instructor. Its other end found its way between his legs, and his scream summoned nearly the entire village to the hillside where they'd been training.
She was banned from entering Meteor Falls for a month.
In the end, Zinnia hadn't even remembered her instructor's name. But, the lessons he'd imparted had stuck around. Some longer than others, but eventually, all the bruises across her body had faded.
The Draconids followed the old ways, from before the Great War. From the age when men and pokémon fought against each other for scarce resources and land. Nowadays, it was a taboo for people to attack pokémon. But the Draconids held no such belief. Pokémon were beasts with power, and it was out of respect for that wild power that they met them with force. That meant learning to spar with them personally. For when the Draconids did battle, they battled beside their pokémon, not behind them.
As the enemy Infernape, Ambipom, Parasect, and Sirfetch'd circled Zinnia, several nearby grunts who'd been focusing on her rampaging pokémon turned toward her, deathly curious of how the girl planned to get herself out of this one. She didn't look scared in the slightest. If anything, her stillness, the way she held her staff as if it were an extension of her own body, and the analytical gaze she swept over her attackers suggested the exact opposite. She was determined to defeat them all. By herself.
The Infernape started the brawl, seemingly unable to contain its rage for a moment longer. It beat its fists against the ground, before lunging forward with an enraged screech.
Zinnia's eyes flicked over in an instant, and her staff shot toward the ape. As Infernape roared, the staff caught it in the throat, and before it could even choke out a cough, Zinnia had swung the staff around and bashed it across the face, sending it flying back into a throng of grunts.
A storm of bright yellow spores sputtered toward Zinnia, but she rolled, and dived into the crowd. AZ's acolytes shrieked as she ran through their lines, using them as a barrier wall between herself and Parasect. The Stun Spore settled on the ground harmlessly in front of them, but Zinnia shoved herself into them, knocking them straight into the substance. A few twitched and screamed, but did not get back up.
Parasect tried to scuttle back as Zinnia closed in on it, but she loosened her grip on her staff and let it sail between her fingertips, before tightly locking her fingers back around the staff just before it left her hand. With her extended grip, she slammed it down on Parasect from a distance, and the crab collapsed down on its own fragile legs, a deep crack in its shell where the staff had landed.
Since Zinnia now only gripped the staff at its end, leaving her control over it inhibited, Ambipom found its moment to strike, hurling a volley of five-pointed stars down at Zinnia. Zinnia sensed the Swift from behind and reacted immediately, diving behind Parasect's defeated body, leaving her staff on the ground. The Swift impacted against the crab's body, releasing flashes of light, and Zinnia whipped her head away so she wouldn't be blinded.
Your staff is a symbol, her instructor had told her once. Think of it as a part of you just as much as your pokémon are. It is the sole distinction between a Draconid, and any other ordinary trainer. Is that what you are, Zinnia? An ordinary trainer?
She glanced out from behind Parasect at her staff on the ground. Ambipom wasted no time scurrying over, and a second later, it seized the staff in one of its tail-hands.
You fucking monkey! Zinnia cursed. She leaped out from behind Parasect.
Ambipom scampered back, deftly twirling the staff in its hands to keep it as far from Zinnia as possible. With it secured, Ambipom slung its other tail forward, its fist hardened for a Double Hit.
Zinnia blitzed forward, closing the distance between them in a matter of moments, but even she wasn't faster than the tenacious monkey. The attack caught her in her side when she was mere inches from it. Agony blossomed on her side like ink in water, and she immediately felt a couple of her ribs break beneath the pressure.
Ambipom smirked, waving Zinnia's staff behind itself mockingly.
Zinnia grit her teeth and lunged forward, over Ambipom's shoulder. Her fingers grazed her staff, then both her hands closed around it. With all her might, she hurled the staff over her head, taking Ambipom with it. The accumulated momentum was just enough to fling it off, and it released its grip, rolling in the air and landing several meters away. Zinnia planted her staff into the ground and spun around it, landing into a crouch beside it, holding it like it was her child. Her breathing was heavy, and she glared at Ambipom as it turned back toward her.
She slowly rose, then ripped her staff out of the ground and leveled it at the monkey. The glittering twinkles on the surface of the staff, that looked like stars in a pitch black ocean, began to glow brighter.
"Dragon Pulse!" Zinnia roared.
Azure light burst from the tip of the staff, crackling and roaring through the air and hitting Ambipom square in that chest. It squealed as it flew back, and it landed unconscious, a scorch mark smoking on its chest.
The grunts who had stopped to watch glanced between themselves nervously. What was going on? What should they do? This woman was completely beyond their expectation. They did not even want to release anymore of their pokémon. Should they charge her themselves?
Fools, Zinnia thought. You guys obviously don't know the first damn thing about each other or each other's pokémon. How the hell did you think you'd be able to beat me with a gank as disjointed as this?
The final pokémon, the Sirfetch'd stepped forward stoically. Out of some sense of misplaced honor, it seemed to dislike the idea of ganging up on her, and it raised its sword in challenge, requesting something like a duel instead.
Zinnia scoffed. Did this stupid bird even see what was going on around it? Nonetheless, a grin stretched across her face as she lowered herself for another charge. "Fine."
Sirfetch'd shield cracked and its sword snapped in two with a single swing of Zinnia's staff, and she once again threw herself into the frenzy of battle. The grunts shook themselves from their stupor and they deployed more of their pokémon. A Kommo-o, a Charizard, a Dragonite. They had lots of dragon-types. Or maybe those were the only ones Zinnia bothered to take note of as she flit through their ranks. Her Dragon Pulses cleaved rays of ice and columns of fire in twain, and those unfortunate enough to be introduced to her staff physically were all taken out in a single hit.
The dance of a Draconid was as graceful to the dancer as it was ruthless to the audience. Zinnia felt no pain as she weaved and rolled and slid between her attackers. Contrary to the chaos boiling around her, her mind seemed to turn off as she let herself be puppeted by her years of training, her body moving off of nothing more than pure instinct.
She couldn't say exactly how much time went by…okay, no actually, she pretty much could. It was nearly three minutes later when Zinnia realized there were no more enemies standing around her. And since she was still conscious, it meant Altaria's Perish Song hadn't yet descended. The silence and darkness of the tunnel once again closed around her, and she slowly turned to face Altaria and Tyrantrum, who both stood triumphant atop the defeated horde. With her sweat-soaked hair matted to her face and neck, she smiled at them.
Just before the Perish Song took her, she released one more pokémon.
Zinnia's eyes flickered open. Luckily, there was no need for them to adjust, since the tunnel was already so dark. Before she saw him, she heard Tyrantrum's breathing as he stood watch over her.
She was laying down, and upon realizing so, sat up.
Pain burned her side, and she cried out involuntarily. Now that the battle had ended and her adrenaline had calmed, her broken ribs were all too apparent. Altaria's soft wing cushioned her from behind, and she leaned forward to alleviate the pressure on her damaged ribs. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Guess that Johto trip isn't happening any time soon, she thought glumly.
She looked to her side and saw her staff lying on the ground parallel to her, and breathed a sigh of relief. She collapsed it and put it back in her cloak. Next, she looked right in front of her, and saw Aster, standing motionlessly on the cold, rock floor, her gaze aimless. Zinnia smiled and brushed the top of her head with her knuckle. "Thanks as always, Aster." Although Aster never partook in the violent ceremony, her role's importance in the dance was paramount. When Altaria initiated her Perish Song, it was up to little Aster to wake them all when the clock struck zero. And she always handled her duty perfectly.
Zinnia stood and recalled Aster once more. Across the dimly lit ground were scores of fallen acolytes and their pokémon alike. Now that she had calmed, Zinnia was honestly a little unnerved at the sight of it. It looked like the scene of a massacre. Zinnia had encountered severe numbers disadvantages before, but this had to have been the largest by far. There were at least a hundred acolytes on the ground, and even more pokémon, leaving the ground riddled with hundreds of fallen foes. They weren't dead, of course, but their current condition couldn't exactly be described as 'asleep.'
Once again, Aster's role, her power, was of paramount importance. Only she could reverse the perishing.
But, despite the gruesome scene, Zinnia didn't regret it in the slightest. Each grunt and their pokémon had been strong. Zinnia hadn't pulled any punches, and she'd still ended up injured. They were no pushovers.
Zinnia glanced over at the elevator shaft and saw that the Stone Edge barrier had been breached, but the bodies of a Manectric and Weavile were slumped atop the broken rock.
Tyrantrum rumbled beside Zinnia, and the girl smiled. Their pursuers must have arrived while she was down, but her pokémon had handled them easily as they came through the bottleneck. With that, they were free to advance without needing to look over their shoulders.
"Thanks, guys, get some rest now, 'kay?" she said as she pulled out their pokéballs. After returning them, she once again deployed Salamence.
The dragon tried his best to avoid stomping on anyone, and nudged the body of a grunt aside with his foot to gain some solid footing. He swiveled his head around to face his master, and Zinnia saw his sharpened eyes narrow when he saw her clutching her side. But he made no further acknowledgement of it, facing forward again and lowering himself so she could mount.
Carefully, Zinnia pulled herself onto his back and turned around so she could lean back against his neck. She exhaled and patted his warm hide. "Southwest, Salamence. Toward Geosenge."
Salamence snorted and turned, rising into the air with a few flaps of his wings. For a formerly subterranean species, this place was just like his home in the depths of Meteor Falls. Without delay, he shot down the tunnel, into the oppressive gloom.
Next — Chapter 36 : King and Servant
Not sure if I got the pacing right for this chapter but we move.
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [26]
Chapter 35 : Blood of the Slumbering Storm
Land of Rota - West of the Town of Rota
A shrill shriek swept through the valley like a hurricane, burning the ears of everyone within, friend and foe. All at once, everyone participating in the chaotic battle suddenly clapped their hands over their ears and sunk to the ground in pain. Pokémon on both sides shuddered and tipped over, unconscious, but those who could weather the hellish onslaught trembled where they stood, as Dragalge's demented roar assaulted their bodies from within and without.
Riley was willing to try anything to shield himself from Dragalge, from both its overpowering stench and its incessant scream. Through the horrific vibrations that rumbled up from the shaking ground, Riley forced himself to focus as he conjured up small gouts of Aura, which he forced into his ear canals and up his nostrils.
Lucario grit his teeth beside his master, but upon seeing what he was doing, started to do the same.
Dragalge's roar continued, but even with his senses dulled, the sound still made Riley feel like his head was being split in two. This wasn't even an attack. This was simply a warcry to herald its arrival, and all who could not withstand it had no business remaining conscious in its royal presence.
Clearly, AZ had passed on the pride of his regal station to his beloved pokémon.
But that lofty arrogance also afforded Riley an opening, however small. Dragalge sat high in the sky, above the treeline of the forest surrounding them, and Riley was right below it, in its blind spot. Breathing through his mouth, he swallowed, and began creeping past it to attack from behind. Lucario hesitated, uncertain, but followed after his master a moment later.
Dragalge's shadow rippled on the grass beneath then, a lattice of darkness that seemed to block out far more sunlight than its sinewy body suggested it could.
Just as they reached the edge of said shadow, another shadow passed over them. A Conkeldurr bore down on them, its concrete slab raised high above its head, ready to smash down on top of them.
Riley's arm ignited with Aura and he reinforced his legs as well. He caught the concrete slab on his arm, and the ground cratered beneath his feet under its weight. He spun and let the slab roll off his arm onto the ground, before summoning an Aura Sphere in his other hand and launching it straight into Conkeldurr's face. The brute stumbled back with a groan, and before it could recover, Lucario dashed out from behind Riley and shoved it backward with a solid thrust on his iron paws.
Its trainer, a hooded grunt, whistled. "You Guardians are no joke, eh?"
After hearing his voice, Riley realized Dragalge's scream had stopped. He looked around the battlefield, but what he saw shocked him. Almost all of AZ's men, and their pokémon, had gotten back up, but nearly half the Guardians remained defeated on the ground. Impossible! That scream was indiscriminate! AZ's forces weren't spared, so how?!
"Surprised?" His opponent mocked.
Riley turned back around to face the man, glaring. As much as he hated to admit it, clearly, his arrogance was warranted.
"You should know who you're dealing with," the man continued. "Faith in his Grace has gifted us all with purpose once again."
"What are you saying?" Riley demanded. "Who are you?"
The man laughed, before slowly raising his hands and pulling off his hood. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a balding head of dirt-colored hair and lines across his forehead and around his mouth. "Do you recognize me?" he asked.
Riley's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head.
The man chuckled. "Of course not. We're the forgotten. The defeated. The ones that fell short."
Riley glanced over at his Conkeldurr, at its bulging muscles and grim stare that showed no hint of fear. "You've been a trainer for a long time. Since you were a child, by the looks of your pokémon." He glanced back over at the man. "You challenged the League circuit, but failed."
The man grinned. "Only just. I earned the badges I needed and participated in the conference. It's the same for all of us." He raised his arms. "Every single one of us was a semifinalist or finalist of a League conference in the past! Do you know what that means, Guardian?"
Riley scowled, and Lucario shifted beside him, growling.
"It means we're all Champion-level trainers! Or even greater, since we've all continued to hone our skills after meeting Lord Vandrick! He gifted us a new purpose, breathed life back into our defeated husks. And this purpose is far greater than any meaningless competition!"
"I think I've heard enough from you," Riley said sharply.
Lucario blitzed forward, faster than the eye could follow, and landed a Force Palm in the center of the man's chest. He didn't even have time to react before flying backward and tumbling over himself, coming to a stop facedown on the ground, unmoving. Conkeldurr turned, but Lucario's fist jetted out with a lightning-fast Brick Break to the throat, followed up by a furious Close Combat, then a Low Kick, and finally, an Aura Sphere at point-blank range. Conkeldurr fell back, arms and concrete slabs splayed out, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
"Champion-level my ass," Riley murmured. But that certainly did explain these grunts' unusual fortitude and the disturbingly high average power level of their pokémon. Riley was one of the strongest Guardians in Rota and was confident he was competitive with a Champion, at least. But many were not, and with Dragalge's scream, their numbers had already been culled in half.
And who was that 'Lord Vandrick?' One of AZ's lieutenants, by the sound of it. Surely he was here now alongside his ancient master. Riley could only hope he wasn't causing too many problems.
He wrinkled his nose and unclipped Aerodactyl's pokéball once again. Once deployed, they would need to attack swiftly before Dragalge could respond. "Listen, Lucario. Here's our plan," he said.
Kalos Region - Shalour City
Salamence crashed through the front of the administrative building in a shower of plaster and glass, his tail raking across the walls, and he bellowed to herald his arrival. The lights above flickered as their wiring tumbled down from the ceiling, and Salamence spread his wings to declare his supremacy. This was his territory now, and any who approached would taste his fury.
Zinnia ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out stray bits of white plaster, and she clambered off of Salamence. Her eyes quickly took in her surroundings. The lobby of this place was empty, and she swiftly moved across the floor toward the supply cabinet that housed the secret entrance to the underground tunnel. Salamence stomped after her, but he remained wary of his rear. Their assailants would be right behind them in no time.
Zinnia ripped the closet door open. As expected, it looked like an ordinary supply closet, with boxes stacked up on shelves along the walls, and a faint scent of cleaning chemicals lingering in the air. She scanned the whole tiny room, but nothing leapt out to her as unusual. Surely there had to be a switch or some secret door that led down to the tunnel, but she really didn't have time to be searching for it.
"Fuck it," she said. "Bust through the floor, Salamence."
As Zinnia slid out of the way, Salamence bashed through the door frame with a similar disregard for decorum as his trainer. Rearing his head back, he released a stream of smoking fire from his maw, burning straight through the linoleum floor. The fire alarms and sprinklers both started to go off outside, but Salamence didn't let up.
"Alright, alright, that's good!" Zinnia coughed, waving her hand in front of her face to dispel the smoke. She withdrew Salamence's pokéball and recalled him.
Once the smoke had cleared enough, Zinnia stepped forward back into the room. Past the blackened hole, Zinnia could see faint service lights blinking along the walls of what appeared to be an elevator shaft right beneath her. She could also see hydraulic machinery lining the edges of the shaft just beneath the floor. It seemed the floor itself was the elevator. But there was no time, and now, no reason to go looking for a way to activate it.
Taking a breath in, Zinnia leapt down into the hole. The lights along the wall flashed against her face as she fell, and she hurled a pokéball down beneath her. It snapped open and materialized into Altaria's pillowy form, and she landed safely on her dragon's back.
"I'm awesome," she muttered. "Take us down there, Altaria."
Altaria obliged with a shrill coo that echoed off the walls of the elevator shaft, descending rapidly with gentle flaps of her cloudlike wings. The elevator shaft stretched down deeper than Zinnia expected, but before long, the ground emerged up from the darkness, and Altaria landed upon it softly. Zinnia climbed off, and they slowly stepped up out of the elevator shaft.
A breeze blew Zinnia's hair across her face and she shivered. The tunnel was huge, and stretched left and right. Save for a line of dim service lights strung along the far wall, the entire tunnel was bathed in darkness. She glanced in both directions.
"I need a fucking compass."
Altaria trotted over to the left and nodded her head down the tunnel.
"That way? Southwest?"
Altaria nodded, but her head suddenly whipped around.
From the pitch black right side of the tunnel, figures crept toward them. At first it was just a few, more more continued to emerge from the darkness. A second later, Zinnia heard footsteps to her left, and figures began approaching from the left side as well. They were boxed in, with the elevator shaft behind them. Zinnia moved back slowly, keeping her distance as they surrounded them silently.
"Creepy as shit," she muttered, pulling out another pokéball. "But this is more like it."
There had to be at least a hundred enemies gathered now, barring her from going down either side of the tunnel.
Zinnia released Tyrantrum beside her, and both he and Altaria narrowed their eyes at their enemies, sizing them up. Slowly, the figures began to deploy their own pokémon, and the cavern seemed to breathe with all the gathered power. Zinnia spared a glance at the elevator shaft behind her. If those grunts from before were anywhere close to as competent as her, then they should be arriving down here any minute now too.
"Stone Edge, Tyrantrum," she commanded. "Seal up that hole."
Tyrantrum snorted and stomped his clawed foot onto the ground. Three pillars of rock materialized behind him, smashing together and completely blocking out the elevator shaft.
None of the hundred grunts moved to stop them, and Zinnia smirked. Think I just cut off my own escape path? Well, I don't expect that to hold anyway when the others finally catch up. Good thing this won't take us long.
She sucked in a breath, and a frenetic grin split across her face. She slumped forward, arms hanging limp before her. "Yo! How about we make this a contest? Something like, 'last woman standing is the winner?'"
None of the grunts moved, but their pokémon growled and gnashed their teeth, barely containing their adrenaline. The sight of them only aroused Zinnia's battlelust even more.
"Well, I'm sure you guys had something like that in mind already anyways," Zinnia continued. "A hundred versus one is a bit unfair… When you're up against the Almighty Zinnia, even a thousand wouldn't be enough! The time starts now! Perish Song, Altaria! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Altaria's eyes turned blood red, and she screamed, scarlet lightning cracking against the stony walls and floor of the tunnel. Everyone, including Zinnia and her pokémon, shuddered upon hearing Altaria's song. In three minutes, all who heard it would pass out. All Zinnia had to do was survive until then.
But merely surviving wasn't her style.
"Kill her!" one of the grunts roared, and a moment later, the tunnel devolved into pandemonium.
Tyrantrum roared, and a fling of its tail sent a horde of hooded grunts flying back into the rocky wall of the tunnel. Azure Dragon Claws extended from his hands, and he swiped at a Rillaboom and an Arcanine. Meanwhile, Altaria plumed up to three times her normal size with a Cotton Guard, burying a throng of grunts and their pokémon beneath her, before unleashing a crackling Dragon Breath that swept a line of them off their feet.
Zinnia herself bounded forward, her eyes wild as she chose her target. A hooded acolyte close to her recoiled on instinct as she neared him, and he ordered his Sirfetch'd forward. But Zinnia didn't slow in the slightest, pulling back her foot and punting the bird square in the face, launching it over the crowd. "Bye bye!" she squealed. Its trainer didn't even have time to turn back around after following its trajectory before Zinnia grasped the back of his head and, using her full body weight and momentum, slammed it down onto the ground.
She landed in the center of a crowd of them, hunched over the fallen acolyte. They hesitated for a moment, perturbed at their target's decision to charge straight into them when she was so grossly outnumbered. But a second later, fierce glares erupted across their hooded faces.
"Get her, Parasect!"
"Mach Punch, Infernape!"
"Break her neck!"
"Ambipom, grab her legs!"
Zinnia cackled as they closed in on her. As Infernape raced toward her, she slid between his legs, then vaulted over Parasect's shell, narrowly avoiding its snapping pincers. Ambipom's hand-tails swept over her head just as she ducked down into a crouch, and she laughed uncontrollably. So much adrenaline was coursing through her that her body didn't even feel solid anymore. She was like a fire that coiled and stretched between her enemies, unable to be touched. But though she couldn't be touched, she could burn.
"How is she so fast?!"
"Just get her!"
The throng of grunts screamed as Tyrantrum burst through their lines, tossing them into the air with his mottled head, and shielding Zinnia from any further assault. He stood over her protectively, eyeing down each and every one of the remaining pokémon who dared to keep their sights on his master.
Zinnia clenched her fist and grit her teeth, turning up at him. "These guys were mine! Go back over there, this is my area!"
Tyrantrum grunted and took a step back apologetically. As a Medicham tore toward them, he quickly whipped his head around and caught it in his jaws. His teeth blazed black with a Crunch, and he crushed it. Before he could finish it, however, its trainer recalled it. Tyrantrum turned back toward Zinnia and fixed her with a look that said, you sure you're okay?
"Don't insult me," Zinnia growled.
Tyrantrum nodded, then tramped off toward the trainer with the Medicham.
A Fire Blast from Altaria on the other side of the tunnel lit up the side of Zinnia's face as she stood up. The pokémon that'd been prowling around her but kept their distance because of Tyrantrum now started moving toward her again, their trainers already defeated. The Infernape and Ambipom circled her sides, and the Parasect slowly crept up from behind. The Sirfetch'd waddled forward with a ruined spot on its head where Zinnia had kicked it, glaring her down and gripping its sword with obvious hatred.
Zinnia reached into her cloak and withdrew a thin black rod, amethyst grains twinkling on its smooth surface. She squeezed the rod, and it suddenly extended down to the floor and above her head. She inhaled and crouched low, twirling it to her side.
"Aghhh!" she wailed as she was once again batted to the ground. Zinnia, aged eight, clutched her bruised forehead as a tear began to well in the corner of her eye.
The cool grass and coarse wind of the Draconid Village should've, and would've been a comfort for young Zinnia. But today was training day. Which meant she had absolutely no time to enjoy even that.
"Don't cry, Zinnia. Get up. Let's go again." Her instructor walked toward her, the wooden staff that had bruised her countless times still gripped in his practiced hand.
She hated him. She hated that sleeveless uniform that he forced her to wear too. He hated his stupid monkish hairstyle that made him look like a Dipplin. And she hated those thin eyes of his that seemed to judge and disparage her every action. And even more infuriatingly, he'd just told her not to cry, but she hadn't been planning on crying in front of him anyway!
She stood back up, smoothly wiping her tear away with her arm as she snatched her own staff back up from the ground. As she shifted back into ready position, as she had done so many times now, she glared at him, determined to knock him down this time. For once. Not that it was likely, though, since he was ten years her senior.
He smiled and readied himself as well. "You know, this wouldn't last so long if only you arrived on time. You could be out playing with Aster by now."
Zinnia didn't respond. She was busy looking for a weakness, and his drivel wasn't helping her find one. Her eyes narrowed as she found his knee. It was pointed outward at her. It would probably hurt a lot if she smacked it really hard.
"AHHHHH!" she hollered, charging at him.
He spun his staff and his smile vanished instantly, back in battle mode. As Zinnia raised the staff over her head, ready to slam its haft into his kneecap with both hands, he jabbed her in the shoulder at lightning speed, then swept her off her feet. She crashed to the ground on her side, and her staff clattered on top of her.
He sighed and sat down on the grass, placing his staff in his lap. "I don't think I ever taught you to do that." The wind whistled through the bamboo forest around them as they both remained unmoving where they were. "I know you're impatient, Zinnia, but you must learn the basics. Without them, how do you ever hope to forge, much less wield a true Draconid staff of your own? You want to become a Dragon Master, right?
Zinnia didn't respond. Instead, her hand found the end of her staff, and, still lying on her back, she jammed it toward her instructor. Its other end found its way between his legs, and his scream summoned nearly the entire village to the hillside where they'd been training.
She was banned from entering Meteor Falls for a month.
In the end, Zinnia hadn't even remembered her instructor's name. But, the lessons he'd imparted had stuck around. Some longer than others, but eventually, all the bruises across her body had faded.
The Draconids followed the old ways, from before the Great War. From the age when men and pokémon fought against each other for scarce resources and land. Nowadays, it was a taboo for people to attack pokémon. But the Draconids held no such belief. Pokémon were beasts with power, and it was out of respect for that wild power that they met them with force. That meant learning to spar with them personally. For when the Draconids did battle, they battled beside their pokémon, not behind them.
As the enemy Infernape, Ambipom, Parasect, and Sirfetch'd circled Zinnia, several nearby grunts who'd been focusing on her rampaging pokémon turned toward her, deathly curious of how the girl planned to get herself out of this one. She didn't look scared in the slightest. If anything, her stillness, the way she held her staff as if it were an extension of her own body, and the analytical gaze she swept over her attackers suggested the exact opposite. She was determined to defeat them all. By herself.
The Infernape started the brawl, seemingly unable to contain its rage for a moment longer. It beat its fists against the ground, before lunging forward with an enraged screech.
Zinnia's eyes flicked over in an instant, and her staff shot toward the ape. As Infernape roared, the staff caught it in the throat, and before it could even choke out a cough, Zinnia had swung the staff around and bashed it across the face, sending it flying back into a throng of grunts.
A storm of bright yellow spores sputtered toward Zinnia, but she rolled, and dived into the crowd. AZ's acolytes shrieked as she ran through their lines, using them as a barrier wall between herself and Parasect. The Stun Spore settled on the ground harmlessly in front of them, but Zinnia shoved herself into them, knocking them straight into the substance. A few twitched and screamed, but did not get back up.
Parasect tried to scuttle back as Zinnia closed in on it, but she loosened her grip on her staff and let it sail between her fingertips, before tightly locking her fingers back around the staff just before it left her hand. With her extended grip, she slammed it down on Parasect from a distance, and the crab collapsed down on its own fragile legs, a deep crack in its shell where the staff had landed.
Since Zinnia now only gripped the staff at its end, leaving her control over it inhibited, Ambipom found its moment to strike, hurling a volley of five-pointed stars down at Zinnia. Zinnia sensed the Swift from behind and reacted immediately, diving behind Parasect's defeated body, leaving her staff on the ground. The Swift impacted against the crab's body, releasing flashes of light, and Zinnia whipped her head away so she wouldn't be blinded.
Your staff is a symbol, her instructor had told her once. Think of it as a part of you just as much as your pokémon are. It is the sole distinction between a Draconid, and any other ordinary trainer. Is that what you are, Zinnia? An ordinary trainer?
She glanced out from behind Parasect at her staff on the ground. Ambipom wasted no time scurrying over, and a second later, it seized the staff in one of its tail-hands.
You fucking monkey! Zinnia cursed. She leaped out from behind Parasect.
Ambipom scampered back, deftly twirling the staff in its hands to keep it as far from Zinnia as possible. With it secured, Ambipom slung its other tail forward, its fist hardened for a Double Hit.
Zinnia blitzed forward, closing the distance between them in a matter of moments, but even she wasn't faster than the tenacious monkey. The attack caught her in her side when she was mere inches from it. Agony blossomed on her side like ink in water, and she immediately felt a couple of her ribs break beneath the pressure.
Ambipom smirked, waving Zinnia's staff behind itself mockingly.
Zinnia grit her teeth and lunged forward, over Ambipom's shoulder. Her fingers grazed her staff, then both her hands closed around it. With all her might, she hurled the staff over her head, taking Ambipom with it. The accumulated momentum was just enough to fling it off, and it released its grip, rolling in the air and landing several meters away. Zinnia planted her staff into the ground and spun around it, landing into a crouch beside it, holding it like it was her child. Her breathing was heavy, and she glared at Ambipom as it turned back toward her.
She slowly rose, then ripped her staff out of the ground and leveled it at the monkey. The glittering twinkles on the surface of the staff, that looked like stars in a pitch black ocean, began to glow brighter.
"Dragon Pulse!" Zinnia roared.
Azure light burst from the tip of the staff, crackling and roaring through the air and hitting Ambipom square in that chest. It squealed as it flew back, and it landed unconscious, a scorch mark smoking on its chest.
The grunts who had stopped to watch glanced between themselves nervously. What was going on? What should they do? This woman was completely beyond their expectation. They did not even want to release anymore of their pokémon. Should they charge her themselves?
Fools, Zinnia thought. You guys obviously don't know the first damn thing about each other or each other's pokémon. How the hell did you think you'd be able to beat me with a gank as disjointed as this?
The final pokémon, the Sirfetch'd stepped forward stoically. Out of some sense of misplaced honor, it seemed to dislike the idea of ganging up on her, and it raised its sword in challenge, requesting something like a duel instead.
Zinnia scoffed. Did this stupid bird even see what was going on around it? Nonetheless, a grin stretched across her face as she lowered herself for another charge. "Fine."
Sirfetch'd shield cracked and its sword snapped in two with a single swing of Zinnia's staff, and she once again threw herself into the frenzy of battle. The grunts shook themselves from their stupor and they deployed more of their pokémon. A Kommo-o, a Charizard, a Dragonite. They had lots of dragon-types. Or maybe those were the only ones Zinnia bothered to take note of as she flit through their ranks. Her Dragon Pulses cleaved rays of ice and columns of fire in twain, and those unfortunate enough to be introduced to her staff physically were all taken out in a single hit.
The dance of a Draconid was as graceful to the dancer as it was ruthless to the audience. Zinnia felt no pain as she weaved and rolled and slid between her attackers. Contrary to the chaos boiling around her, her mind seemed to turn off as she let herself be puppeted by her years of training, her body moving off of nothing more than pure instinct.
She couldn't say exactly how much time went by…okay, no actually, she pretty much could. It was nearly three minutes later when Zinnia realized there were no more enemies standing around her. And since she was still conscious, it meant Altaria's Perish Song hadn't yet descended. The silence and darkness of the tunnel once again closed around her, and she slowly turned to face Altaria and Tyrantrum, who both stood triumphant atop the defeated horde. With her sweat-soaked hair matted to her face and neck, she smiled at them.
Just before the Perish Song took her, she released one more pokémon.
Zinnia's eyes flickered open. Luckily, there was no need for them to adjust, since the tunnel was already so dark. Before she saw him, she heard Tyrantrum's breathing as he stood watch over her.
She was laying down, and upon realizing so, sat up.
Pain burned her side, and she cried out involuntarily. Now that the battle had ended and her adrenaline had calmed, her broken ribs were all too apparent. Altaria's soft wing cushioned her from behind, and she leaned forward to alleviate the pressure on her damaged ribs. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Guess that Johto trip isn't happening any time soon, she thought glumly.
She looked to her side and saw her staff lying on the ground parallel to her, and breathed a sigh of relief. She collapsed it and put it back in her cloak. Next, she looked right in front of her, and saw Aster, standing motionlessly on the cold, rock floor, her gaze aimless. Zinnia smiled and brushed the top of her head with her knuckle. "Thanks as always, Aster." Although Aster never partook in the violent ceremony, her role's importance in the dance was paramount. When Altaria initiated her Perish Song, it was up to little Aster to wake them all when the clock struck zero. And she always handled her duty perfectly.
Zinnia stood and recalled Aster once more. Across the dimly lit ground were scores of fallen acolytes and their pokémon alike. Now that she had calmed, Zinnia was honestly a little unnerved at the sight of it. It looked like the scene of a massacre. Zinnia had encountered severe numbers disadvantages before, but this had to have been the largest by far. There were at least a hundred acolytes on the ground, and even more pokémon, leaving the ground riddled with hundreds of fallen foes. They weren't dead, of course, but their current condition couldn't exactly be described as 'asleep.'
Once again, Aster's role, her power, was of paramount importance. Only she could reverse the perishing.
But, despite the gruesome scene, Zinnia didn't regret it in the slightest. Each grunt and their pokémon had been strong. Zinnia hadn't pulled any punches, and she'd still ended up injured. They were no pushovers.
Zinnia glanced over at the elevator shaft and saw that the Stone Edge barrier had been breached, but the bodies of a Manectric and Weavile were slumped atop the broken rock.
Tyrantrum rumbled beside Zinnia, and the girl smiled. Their pursuers must have arrived while she was down, but her pokémon had handled them easily as they came through the bottleneck. With that, they were free to advance without needing to look over their shoulders.
"Thanks, guys, get some rest now, 'kay?" she said as she pulled out their pokéballs. After returning them, she once again deployed Salamence.
The dragon tried his best to avoid stomping on anyone, and nudged the body of a grunt aside with his foot to gain some solid footing. He swiveled his head around to face his master, and Zinnia saw his sharpened eyes narrow when he saw her clutching her side. But he made no further acknowledgement of it, facing forward again and lowering himself so she could mount.
Carefully, Zinnia pulled herself onto his back and turned around so she could lean back against his neck. She exhaled and patted his warm hide. "Southwest, Salamence. Toward Geosenge."
Salamence snorted and turned, rising into the air with a few flaps of his wings. For a formerly subterranean species, this place was just like his home in the depths of Meteor Falls. Without delay, he shot down the tunnel, into the oppressive gloom.
Next — Chapter 36 : King and Servant
Not sure if I got the pacing right for this chapter but we move.
Remnants of the Great War [27]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [27]
Chapter 36 : King and Servant
Kalos Region - Cyllage City
"Fusion Flare!" N said, thrusting his hand forward.
In the skies above, Reshiram shot out from beneath the shadows of the cliffside, his scalding white fur billowing against the cerulean sky. His tail roared to life, embers gusting out in a blizzard. An orange orb of fire spittled into existence between Reshiram's hands, growing larger and brighter with each passing second. When it was so bright it hurt to look upon, Reshiram flung it down, and it trembled as it moved, a vortex of wind roiling around it.
"Stone Edge! Block it!" Caleb hissed.
His Barbaracle, a hulking golem with twisting limbs of sentient coral, buried its hands in the ground, and the earth rumbled. A second later, ten pillars of granite shot from the ground, before crumbling and shifting in the air to form a barrier that was several meters thick.
The Fusion Flare impacted, and the world went silent for half a second, before the barrier burst apart and the Fusion Flare detonated in a gurgling explosion of amber fire. N shielded himself from the rocks flying in his direction, but his arms did little to protect himself from the searing heat of Reshiram's fire. The worst of the debris halted in midair and dropped to the ground just before hitting him.
"Argh!" Caleb snarled. "Psychic on N first! We'll deal with Reshiram after!"
Beside Caleb, his Delphox turned toward its enemy and aimed its wand.
Above, Reshiram snorted angrily and summoned four javelins of rock out of thin air. They sharpened in the air beside him, then Reshiram hurled them downward. His own Stone Edge sank itself into the sand between N and Delphox, cutting off the fox's line of sight.
No matter how harsh a battle they found themselves in, Reshiram always protected his master without fail, and with minimal effort too. Such was the power of a legend.
N silently thanked his partner as he ran across the beach, circling around the rock to try to get his opponents back in his sights. This was no easy enemy. His Barbaracle's control over its moves was impressive, and neither it, nor the Delphox, seemed fazed at all that they were up against a legendary. It was a good thing N had started studying the national pokédex several years ago, or he might've actually been at a disadvantage against these unfamiliar Kalosian pokémon.
"Levitate Barbaracle, Delphox, and Barbaracle, use Ancient Power!"
Barbaracle bulleted into the air above Reshiram, its body outlined in psychic power. A network of indigo portals opened behind Barbaracle, and a moment later, cosmic energy shot out in an indiscriminate volley. Reshiram roared as the attacks struck his skin. Every time a laser hit him, it hardened into rock and shattered against his body.
"Solar Beam!" N ordered.
Light gathered in Reshiram's maw and he shot it out in a blinding ray.
Down below, Delphox flicked its wand, and the Solar Beam changed course in midair, shooting upward away from Barbaracle, then blitzing around in ten different directions, before shooting back straight at Reshiram. The beam hit his neck and he coughed up a storm of embers. But with his focus momentarily broken, a larger laser shot out from behind Barbaracle and hit him right in the head. Reshiram stumbled in the air, then allowed himself to fall, smashing down onto the remnants of his Stone Edge. He roared in anger, and Delphox glared back.
N grit his teeth as Barbaracle floated back down and landed on the beach in front of its trainer.
"Reshiram must hate having you as a trainer," Caleb smirked. "You're not very good at this, are you?"
To that, N had no reply. It was true that he wasn't the greatest trainer or strategist. To be honest, even though he now accepted the institution of pokémon battling, he still did not like it. He employed Reshiram's power only when absolutely necessary, which meant they spent no time training like Ash and Zinnia did. Of course, for a pokémon like Reshiram, something like that was hardly necessary. Despite the potency of that Ancient Power, it had done little more than annoy Reshiram.
"You're very good at this," N said, seizing on the opportunity to talk instead of fight. "You must have been with your pokémon for a long time."
"Damn right. Don't even come at me with that liberation bullshit."
"Oh no, that wasn't my intention at all. I was just wondering how a promising young man like yourself got mixed in with someone like AZ. Did that Lord Vandrick you mentioned introduce you to him?"
Caleb's eyes narrowed. "'Mixed in?' You think I'm troubled youth or something? Why don't you keep your royal nose out of my business, terrorist. You're no better than me."
N's face darkened. "Well, I am trying to be," he said quietly. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"Yup."
Reshiram growled, but N calmed him with a raise of his hand. "Have you killed before, Caleb?"
"Enough questions," the boy sneered. "Dragon Claw, Barbaracle."
The rock pokémon barreled forward, its claws laced in jade dragon energy.
N sighed. "End this, Reshiram."
Barbaracle leaped into the air, poised to slash Reshiram's neck. But the white dragon reared back and punched it out of the sky faster than his size suggested he could. As it tumbled back across the sand, Reshiram stomped over and slammed his foot down on Barbaracle's body. He opened his maw, and fire emptied out. First orange, then red, then blue, as it got hotter and hotter. When he was finished, he stepped off and released a satisfied snort.
Despite his resistances, Barbaracle lay unmoving, its stone burned black with ash.
N grimaced, looking away. As much as he loved Reshiram, Reshiram was a dragon. And dragons were unshakably ruthless.
Caleb recalled his fallen pokémon with a sneer. "Whatever. You only have Reshiram, don't you? You don't have any pokéballs on your belt, and you threw away that bag of yours. Unless you're into some freak shit and you have some up your ass, it's still five against one."
"Yes, but the one just defeated one of yours without even breaking a sweat," N said flatly.
"Heh." Caleb pulled another pokéball off his belt and tossed it in the air. "Don't you think you rely on Reshiram too much? You think you're unbeatable just 'cause it's a legendary?"
"No, but like you, I've spent quite a bit of time with Reshiram too. I trust in my partner completely."
"That makes it even worse," Caleb said, narrowing his eyes in judgment.
N frowned. "I don't understand."
"No shit. Clearly the transition from pokémon liberation activist to trainer hasn't been very smooth. I'm guessing you haven't caught any more pokémon because you're still a liberationist at heart? But if that were the case, then why do you keep Reshiram of all pokémon in your bag like you do, huh?" He smirked. "It seems to me like you're trying to do both, and failing at both."
N glanced up at Reshiram, unable to help himself. The white dragon felt his gaze and turned. Their eyes met, but N could discern nothing from them. Caleb wasn't wrong. He was like a walking paradox, and even he didn't understand himself. Worse than that, he couldn't understand what it was that existed between him and Reshiram. As Plasma's king, they always seemed to be on the same page, pursuing their ideals together. But now that N was trying to turn over a new leaf, he wasn't sure where he was with Reshiram. At the very least, he didn't know why the legendary dragon had partnered with him again after he was released from prison.
"Someone showed me the beauty of the bonds between man and pokémon that can be cultivated…that can only be cultivated through battle," N said. "Right now, I am walking a path away from my old self and toward a new one. Whilst I'm between them, it may appear to you that I'm failing at one thing or another, but it's a path that Reshiram has graciously elected to accompany me on. For now, I need to live up to his expectations."
Caleb shook his head. "That's not what a trainer does. A trainer is the master of their pokémon. Reshiram is your pokémon, isn't it? It's Reshiram who needs to live up to your expectations."
"You're quite strict," N said grimly.
"No, I'm not. You just don't understand what it means to be a trainer. And it's why you'll end up losing here today. For my pokémon, my expectation is that they'll defeat you." He leveled his gaze at N. "As long as you keep Reshiram on some lofty pedestal, you'll be destined to sail straight off a cliff if he should up and vanish one day." Caleb sniggered. "Legendaries have a habit of that, from what I hear."
Reshiram snorted, embers flaring from his nostrils. He'd had enough of this conversation.
"I agree, Reshiram," N said firmly. "This boy doesn't know the first thing about us. So let's show him! Use Outrage on Delphox!" If they could take out Delphox, it would be easy to incapacitate Caleb himself.
As Reshiram roared, and flung himself toward the fire-type, Caleb shrugged. "Suit yourself."
He unhooked and flung a pokéball forward. The energy that burst out resized into a massive Gourgeist nearly as tall as the dragon. The ghostly pumpkin's 'arms' shot forward and slammed against Reshiram's arms, wrapping around them and pulling him back to stop him in his tracks.
"Toxic, then move!" Caleb yelled.
As Reshiram grappled against Gourgeist, the mouth of the pumpkin gurgled, and a deep purple liquid sprayed out all over Reshiram's chest. The dragon hissed, swiping his wing across Gourgeist's face, but it floated back, narrowly dodging. Now that it was airborne, it shot another gout of poison straight at Reshiram's face before disappearing with a ghostly swirl. Reshiram coughed and smeared the poison from his face, eyes burning with rage and agony.
"Calm yourself, Reshiram! Find and immobilize it with Extrasensory, then Flamethrower," N commanded.
As Reshiram's eyes gleamed and he started searching for his incorporeal opponent, N couldn't help but recall Caleb's words. Keep Reshiram on a pedestal? What does that even mean? If anything, N believed he didn't show enough respect for his beloved pokémon. From his point of view, he was reaping all the benefits of their relationship, while the upsides for Reshiram remained unclear. He couldn't imagine treating him any more casually than he did now.
Reshiram's eyes seared blue, and Gourgeist warbled back into existence above him, ringed in a psychic light, one of its eyes clamped shut as it screeched.
"Hex!" Caleb roared.
"Please defeat it now, Reshiram!"
N could feel Gourgeist's fear even as it fired off a bolt of shadowy energy at Reshiram that pulsed through his body in an instant. Reshiram's maw glowed, and a column of fire burst forth, engulfing Gourgeist. Beyond the flames, it squealed, and N closed his eyes until he could hear Gourgeist's voice no longer. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to the pained voices of pokémon in battle, especially when they were in pain at his command.
Caleb recalled his partner with a stoic look. "Well done," he murmured, before replacing its ball on his waist and exchanging it for another.
Reshiram groaned, panting. The poison was in his system now, and that Hex had done damage. They were on a timer now.
Caleb tossed out his next pokémon, and a jingling Klefki appeared in the air beneath Reshiram. The dragon glowered down at it, but Klefki didn't seem to mind as it flit around carelessly, waiting for an order.
Caleb leaned closer to Delphox and whispered something, and N narrowed his eyes.
"Stay alert, Reshiram. We'll deal with this quickly as always," N said. "Flamethrower on Klefki, and counteract anything Delphox tries to do to help."
Reshiram rumbled and stomped forward. His eyes flared with psychic power, alert to Delphox's every move, and he began building fire deep in his gullet.
"Smart Spikes, Klefki!" Caleb commanded.
Klefki rocketed into the air with a high-pitched wail, keys jangling. Reshiram roared, and a tower of fire coiled skyward, engulfing the steel-type. Within the flames, its silhouette wavered, but a moment later, it burst out, smoking. Golden light wreathed its form, and Reshiram's beady eyes flickered down at Delphox, and he snarled.
That's Light Screen, N thought. Why didn't you stop it, Reshiram? N looked back up at his pokémon. His chest heaved every time he took a breath, and with each exhale, a wheeze escaped his throat. Is it the poison? Was it too much to ask to deal with them both at the same time? N grit his teeth and made a decision. "Forget Delphox and finish off, Klefki, Reshiram!"
Silver spears curled into existence around Reshiram, glinting in the sunlight. As Reshiram turned to fire off another Flamethrower, a battalion of spears shot toward him and buried themselves in his hide. Reshiram grunted, but ignored them, rounding on Klefki and unleashing another smoking column of fire. Klefki once again disappeared beneath the flames, and N watched as Reshiram swept the fire through the air, following Klefki as it tried to escape. Getting impatient, Reshiram's eyes seared, and a geyser of sand erupted in front of Delphox, blocking its view of the battle for a moment. With its concentration broken, Reshiram roared, raising the temperature of his heat so much it turned white. Behind the blinding column, Delphox's Light Screen shattered with a fantastical crack, and Klefki's body bulleted into the cliff face, before falling to the ground, burned and blackened.
Caleb recalled it with a sneer.
Delphox glared at Reshiram, and the dragon met its challenge with a menacing growl. Using his wing, Reshiram brushed the spikes out of his body, and they fell upon the sand below.
Now that they were closer, N saw that they glittered with a mysterious energy. Normally, Spikes are inserted into the ground and are made of rock, but these are metal, and float in the air to attack autonomously… Smart Spikes, huh? "Burn those Spikes, Reshiram!"
Reshiram lunged forward, poised the whack a group of them out of the sky, but they responded accordingly and rose even higher, out of his reach. As he primed a Flamethrower, a flock of them whipped around and struck his face. The Flamethrower caught them as they tried to escape, and they melted into nothing. Then, the ones on the ground began to rise, and Reshiram wheeled around. Just before they could impale N, Reshiram snatched them with Extrasensory, and crushed them down into a crumpled ball. The glow faded.
Then a fist struck Reshiram in the face, knocking spittle from his mouth.
"Reshiram!" N shouted.
The Pangoro grinned, its biceps bulging as it released all its pent up power, launching Reshiram's face into the beach. But before he could recover, the sands beneath him churned apart, and a Diggersby drilled out, slicing up into his chin, knocking his head back into the air.
Caleb smirked, his last two pokéballs, newly emptied, in his hands, and he admired his handiwork. "Keep it busy."
"No! Get into the air, Reshiram, then Dragon Pulse on Pangoro!"
Reshiram leapt, crashing through a hail of Spikes. As his tail ignited, a group of them blew back, melting and splattering against the cliff.
"You think Diggersby can't reach you up there? Bounce, then Mud Shot!" Caleb roared.
Diggersby laid the palms of its ears against the ground, lowering itself. Then, it pushed off, launching into the sky with a flip. As Reshiram fired off a ray of draconic energy, several Spikes slashed across his neck, and the attack jerked away, giving Pangoro just enough time to roll out of the way. Beside Reshiram, Diggersby reared back and unleashed a torrent of mud. It splashed against Reshiram's body and hardened, and the dragon fought to stay airborne.
No! Reshiram is slowing down! He should've been able to redirect that with Extrasensory! N's mind raced as he clawed for a solution. Caleb's pokémon were doing far more damage than N would've expected, and he was clearly banking on winning a battle of attrition. He'd sacrificed both Gourgeist and Klefki to encumber Reshiram. Now, all Pangoro and Diggersby had to do was outlast him. And then there was still Delphox, which by the look of it, appeared to be Caleb's ace.
They needed to end Pangoro and Diggersby in one fell swoop.
What would Ash do? N demanded of himself. Of course, Ash probably never would've found himself in a situation as dire as this, but if he had, what would he do? He'd probably come up with some technique that I could've never dreamed of. But N banished that line of thought immediately. Excuses wouldn't save Reshiram from defeat. Think, N!
Reshiram continued to fire off Dragon Pulses at both of his opponents, trying to keep them at bay. But every time he did, more Spikes would circle around and stab him in his blind spots. Pangoro and Diggersby weren't even attacking. They were simply letting Reshiram tire himself out, dodging as best they could, and tanking what they couldn't to the best of their abilities. But both were built to endure punishment, and Reshiram didn't have time to focus down on either one. Every time he tried, the other would simply harass him from elsewhere. All the while, the poison dulled his cognition and the spikes were just enough of a nuisance to hinder his focus.
If Reshiram used Draco Meteor, Delphox would probably be too busy protecting Caleb to worry about defending the other two. But Reshiram wouldn't want to use it and try and protect me at the same time either, especially with how exhausted he is… Isn't that right, Reshiram?
But the dragon's voice was silent to him, and he bit his lip in dismay. Perhaps he couldn't hear him over the din of battle, or he was too preoccupied to worry about responding.
I'm sorry, Reshiram. If only I were a better trainer, you wouldn't have gotten this hurt. At times like these, I wonder why you…
He stopped himself. No, he would not follow that thought. Reshiram was fighting for the both of them at this very moment, and N would dare question him? That would've been the height of self-pity. Reshiram was fighting for his sake. He was fighting on his orders. Which meant, really, it was Reshiram who trusted N completely.
I love you, Reshiram, truly, N said, for himself, and for Reshiram, if he was listening.
"It's Reshiram who needs to live up to your expectations," Caleb had said.
That's a conversation we can have later, N thought. Once we get through this! Forgive me, Reshiram, but I'm going to demand more of you!
"Draco Meteor, now!" N roared.
Reshiram whizzed to the side, dodging a Mud Shot from Diggersby, and he glared down at his trainer. It bordered on a sneer. It was an abject refusal. Reshiram knew he could not use it without being able to guarantee his master's safety.
N's expression hardened. "That's an order, Reshiram. Draco Meteor, now!"
Reshiram glowered down at his master. Pangoro sprinted around him and leaped to land a punch on his side, but Reshiram kicked him away without breaking eye contact.
N swallowed, but he too kept his eyes on Reshiram.
The air began to heat up and Reshiram's tail started to churn. Fire roared to life within, but his tail spun faster and faster until the flames melted into a deep blue. With a deafening roar, Reshiram bulleted further up into the sky. His body eclipsed the sun, an indigo spiral rimmed in white sunlight.
"Shit, get away from it!" Caleb screeched.
The sky seemed to darken, and N glanced around to find a hiding spot. The cliff behind him didn't even have any crevices, much less a cave or something for him to duck into. The rocks that littered the beach would get obliterated by the meteors. And the ocean itself was behind Caleb, out of his reach. Though it wasn't like that could save him either. N looked across the beach, and as expected, Delphox was priming a shield over itself and its master. Diggersby jumped and burrowed into the sand, disappearing. Meanwhile, Pangoro barreled across the beach, away from the battlefield.
N cursed silently for not thinking this through, but he made a decision, running back toward the cliff and pressing himself against it. All he could do now was trust in Reshiram.
The skies above flashed and thundered, blue lightning striking the beach and galvanizing the sand into twisted branches of glass. Reshiram's roar echoed, an omen of destruction. Then, the heavens belched, and hellfire came screaming down, bleeding azure power across the tortured sky. The first meteor shattered against Delphox's shield, and N had to close his eyes at the blinding release of energy. With each impact, the earth seemed to shake, and N was sure he was about to die. His legs trembled, the muscles within tight and screaming in agony as he forced them not to buckle. He heard a loud cracking above, and a second later, there was a barrage of crashes right in front of him, closer than all the others. He could feel sand spraying his legs as each one hit. The cliff was collapsing.
Through the cacophony, N heard a low roar, though even he could not make out if it was Reshiram, Pangoro, or something else. His ears rang and sweat poured down his face, but he forced himself to remain as still as he could, not wanting to get in Reshiram's way even by an inch.
When the ground stopped shaking and N could hear himself breathe again, he opened his eyes, and his feet immediately started to tingle.
The beach was obliterated. Less than a yard away from his feet lay a smoking sinkhole, with flames still flickering at parts. The entire beach was covered with them, and there wasn't a single grain of unscorched sand to be seen. In one of the sinkholes, Diggersby lay unmoving, unable to escape Reshiram's wrath even underground. Away from the battlefield, Pangoro lay beneath a small mountain of cooling meteors, though its scorched fists suggested it'd tried to defend itself.
N clambered over the hot sands, careful not to fall down any of the sinkholes, and Reshiram touched back down next to him, breathing heavily. On the other side of the battlefield, Delphox's shield wavered, then faded. Both master and pokémon were fine.
Caleb surveyed the damage, spotting his two fallen partners. He sucked on his lips. "Figures," he muttered, recalling them. Then he grinned. "But they did their job. I have you right where I want you."
N ran his hands through his hair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "If you think that will be enough to take down Reshiram, I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken."
Caleb withdrew some sort of white watch and clasped its around his wrist, and N frowned.
"I know," Caleb said. "That's why I'm adding some extra punch."
He opened his palm. Several crystals lie within, but N could not identify them. Caleb pushed them around a bit, then seemed to find the one he was looking for and picked it out, stuffing the rest back in his pocket. The crystal he'd selected was a dark hazel. He placed it on the watch's face and clicked its sides, locking it in place.
Reshiram released a low growl, stomping the ground.
This is it, N thought as Caleb raised his arm.
"I told you," the boy said, "I expect my pokémon to win." He slammed his palm down against the crystal, and a bright light erupted from its surface. "Delphox, Tectonic Rage!"
If this was Delphox's finishing blow, then N intended to finish Delphox in one hit as well. "Reshiram, use Blue Flare!"
Delphox whipped its wand, and the sands around Reshiram responded accordingly, swirling and churning like a tornado. Reshiram reared back, opening his maw. Blue light shined from the depths of his throat, and even Caleb took a nervous step back as it got brighter and brighter.
The sand around Reshiram continued to thicken and spin faster, until it roiled around him so fast that N could hardly see him. All he could see were flickering glimpses of white fur illuminated by Reshiram's mouth.
Delphox hissed, and all of a sudden, the sand ignited and bloomed in size. Coarse magma surged around Reshiram, before imploding, then exploding in a hail of earthen fury. It was like a volcano had erupted all around Reshiram.
The heat from the firestorm singed N's arm hairs, and he grit his teeth, but he trusted Reshiram. He'd ignored the attack building around him, so he seemed to think he could take it.
A ray of blue fire sliced through the maelstrom, glassing the fiery sand in an instant, before carving across the beach and hitting Delphox square in the face. The Tectonic Rage shuddered, and slowly fell back to the ground, revealing Reshiram's battered body. Angry burns and slashes covered his body, but it hadn't stopped him from unleashing the dancing beam of blue fire. He roared as he pumped more power and fury into the attack, and Delphox vanished beneath the splattering flames. With one final guttural bark, Reshiram cut off the attack, panting. Delphox took several shaky steps, then collapsed to the decimated ground, its fur burned.
Reshiram roared in victory, spreading his wings.
Finally N's legs gave out and he collapsed onto his knees. Reshiram noticed and stomped over, lowering his head. N reached out and caressed his face. "Thank you, Reshiram," he wheezed, though he felt silly at his exhaustion since he hadn't really done anything.
Reshiram nudged his hand with his nose and growled softly.
I haven't seen you in such high spirits since the days of Team Plasma. I'm glad you've finally begun to exert yourself on the world once more.
N whipped toward Reshiram. The dragon met his eye, but soon stood and lumbered toward Delphox's fallen body.
N smiled. So Reshiram had been worried about him. It seemed they'd both been slightly anxious about how the other felt about them. But their affection for each other was clear. From here, their bond would only deepen.
Reshiram growled and N glanced over, soon realizing what the dragon was getting at. He jogged over and frowned.
"Where's the boy?"
N and Reshiram looked at each other.
"He must've escaped to the tunnel!" N said. "Let's go!"
Reshiram growled in agreement, but after taking one step, his entire body melted into orange and collapsed in on itself.
"Reshiram?" N stopped and turned back to his pokémon.
A glowing orange orb fell to the ground, and a moment later, the glow faded. The Light Stone rested quietly on the sand.
N walked over and knelt down. He rested his hand on its surface. It's been some time since you've gotten this cold, Reshiram. He glanced at Delphox, abandoned by its master. But it was our victory. Get some rest, and leave the rest to me.
Lifting his pokémon, N started running toward the entrance to the tunnel. While he did, he withdrew his phone to call Sylvester.
Next — Chapter 37 : The Electric Plate
Remnants of the Great War [28]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [28]
Chapter 37 : The Electric Plate
Remnants of the Great War Arc [28]
Chapter 37 : The Electric Plate
Land of Rota - East of the Town of Rota
Ash leaped back as Aegislash's blade cut through the air where he'd been standing half a second ago. Even though it hadn't hit him, he heard a high-pitched ring as it swept beneath his chin. Even with Gengar's assistance, it felt like every attack the sword leveled at him could be his last, and the feeling of relief that washed over him every time he realized he was somehow still alive could not be savored. Ash ducked and jumped to avoid every thrust and slash, employing acrobatics he didn't even know he possessed till now. Clearly training with Lucario, and all the time he'd spent monkeying around as a kid, had paid off, if only just.
Unfortunately, Pikachu and Annihilape weren't faring much better. While their trainer soaked up the brunt of Aegislash's attention, they still could not land a single counterattack of their own. Every time they fired one off, or approached for a melee hit, a purple shield of hexagonal tiles glimmered into existence between them, and a wanton strike from Annihilape had told them that contact with the shield would sap their strength.
Shit, I need to get it off me, or this thing will eventually kill me! Ash thought as he dived behind a fallen tree trunk, cleaved from its stump by Aegislash. Its single eye burned with a stalwart fury, and Ash grit his teeth as he rolled to dodge another slice, before getting back on his feet. He saw Pikachu and Annihilape both charge the sword from behind, but a twin set of King's Shields kept them at bay.
Gengar, tell them to attack from above! When it defends, I'll hit it from below!
Gengar hissed in his mind. This was a form of nonverbal communication, but it was slower than genuine telepathy like Sabrina had with her pokémon, or like he and Riley had with their respective Lucarios. But against such an aggressive menace, Ash would use any slim advantage he could get.
A moment later, Pikachu and Annihilape both leaped. An Electro Ball sizzled into existence on Pikachu's tail, and shadows rippled across Annihilape's fist for a Rage Fist. Without even giving them a glance, two shields, meshed together to perfectly counter the exact angles its two assailants were coming from, appeared above Aegislash, leaving its blade body wide open.
As Aegislash thrust forward, Ash sidestepped, electricity dancing in his palm. Got you! The ions under Ash's control flooded Aegislash, and it suddenly jerked toward him, as if pulled by an invisible force.
For the first time since the battle had begun, Aegislash released a confused rumble, and a half second later, the shields above its head vanished, before rebuilding around its entire form, encasing it in a perfect sphere. It finally broke off its assault and leapt back away from Ash and his pokémon. Now still again, the shield glittered away.
Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned, panting. He'd used Aegislash's steel against itself to pull it toward himself and knock it off balance. That last technique was something like a hostile version of Magnet Rise, and aside from their main technique, it was what Ash had devoted much of the past month toward perfecting.
Honestly, although it was intended for steel-types, it was actually a two-part technique. The magnetic attraction was only half of it. In theory, Ash was supposed to follow it up with a proper electric attack, but against Aegislash, he hadn't even bothered attempting it. This time, the goal was just to surprise it. Luckily, it'd opted for defense, ceasing its assault and retreating, even though Ash had barely managed to yank it an inch. It was risky, but Ash had counted on Aegislash freaking out at suddenly getting pulled by a force that didn't come from Pikachu or Annihilape.
Pikachu and Annihilape landed on either side of Ash, poised to continue to fight. Aegislash watched them all silently, seemingly now wary of Ash.
As Ash watched the sword in turn, it definitely seemed to be confused at Ash's ability, as if it hadn't expected them. A pokémon this old and strong could only belong to AZ, but it seemed like the giant hadn't availed his partner to Ash's powers. At that realization, Ash raised his fists defensively .
That means he has so much faith in Aegislash's strength that he didn't even feel the need to bother telling it.
Nevertheless, Ash grinned. "Underestimate me at your own peril," he muttered, and his pokémon nodded in agreement beside him.
Aegislash tilted, and a moment later, Ash could see why. Or rather, he heard them first.
Between the fallen trees, mossy stumps, and leafy foliage, hooded figures began to approach the scene of their battle, alongside their pokémon. They came from all directions, peeling out of the shaded gloom of the forest. At first, Ash counted ten, but the closer they got, the number seemed to increase to twenty, at least. Soon after, they were surrounded.
Ash glanced around him warily, but none of the enemies seemed to want to attack just yet. At first, he'd thought it was a fool's idea to intrude on Aegislash's battle, but the sword itself had stood down, crossing its shield in front of itself once again. Though I know it can go on the attack again in an instant. It would be idiotic to think Aegislash was seriously leaving Ash to the others, especially after it had just seen what he could do.
The moment their attention shifted to the surrounding acolytes, Aegislash likely intended to swoop in and take one of them out right there and then.
Even if Pikachu hit them all at once with a Thunder, there're a few ground-types that would remain standing since Pikachu can only use the anti-ground technique on individual opponents. And if I tried something, Gengar wouldn't be able to protect me while I'm using the Electric Plate… That was something they'd found out shortly after Gengar had solved his poison problem. It'd take just enough of our power and attention that Aegislash could pick one of us off.
Now that that option had been sealed off, Ash rose and stood straighter. "Annihilape. Pikachu. Let's use that."
Pikachu chirped in excitement, and Annihilape smashed his fists together, shaking the already tilted cap on his wavering head.
"Are you serious?" Albrecht said incredulously. "I know you're a gutsy trainer, but something like this, and right off the bat too…"
Ash didn't even bother turning around to meet the World Champion's gaze. "I know it could be dangerous for my pokémon, but this power shouldn't just belong to me. If Arceus' power is as infinite as you say, then there should be plenty to go around."
"That's…not the issue. The Plates are divided between types for a reason. I'm sure you must've seen Riley using Aura in a similar way, but that's completely different. Aura is the raw power of pokémon, the basic building block of all their attacks. The electric power from the Electric Plate, however—"
"That's why I explained to you how I was going to use it," Ash said. Now, he turned to face Albrecht.
The World Champion looked cautious, but willing to listen.
"Think about it. Almost every pokémon has a brain. And even the ones that don't have some sort of organ that acts as one. The same is true of muscles." He held up a finger and allowed a spark to dance on its tip. "Aura may power a pokémon's moves, but this is what powers their bodies."
Albrecht still looked concerned, if not even moreso now. "Electricity… You're referring to brain waves…and muscle contractions."
Ash slammed a fist on his palm. "Exactly! If I can accelerate, or enhance those brain waves and muscle contractions, I should be able to boost my pokémon's cognitive ability and physical power! I could increase their reaction time and strength tenfold, or even more!"
"Beyond the obvious ramifications such a precise technique would have on your own body, you're talking about interfering with your pokémon's most intimate biological processes. Screw up, and who knows what would happen to them? Even I couldn't say how a misplaced electric charge on the brain, or a muscle, would affect your pokémon, but I can't imagine it would be good. Or temporary, either."
"I know, I know," Ash said. He rubbed his hair. "I know it sounds like I'm ignoring your warnings, but believe me, no one cares more about my own pokémon's safety than me. It's just…" He sighed, searching for the words. "I know we can do this. I've thought a lot about why someone like me would come to have this power…and I just feel like this is how it's meant to be used…or something like this, anyway. Shared with my pokémon."
Albrecht frowned and caressed his chin, but a smile began to peek up from the corners of his mouth. "I've met several Platebearers over the years. Without a doubt, they are some of the greediest, most conceited people I have ever met in my entire life. I suppose wielding the power of Arceus would do that to someone, but at the very least, I have never heard one suggest that their power should be shared." He locked eyes with Ash. "In that regard, you would be the first."
"Oh, c'mon…" Ash said, embarrassed.
"Arceus' power…kept by a man, but shared with pokémon…" Albrecht thought for a moment. "Respectively, you're insane, Ash Ketchum. But I suppose one would have to be. Odd as it may be, after hearing your words just now, I feel even more confident in my decision to bet on you."
"Ha ha, thanks!"
"Now, that being said, I absolutely forbid you from tampering with any of the electricity in any of your pokémon, even Pikachu, before you master your control over the Plate. Violate that, and I swear on Arceus' name, I will peel that Plate off of you faster than you could blink."
"I thought you said you couldn't kill Platebearers to get their Plate, since the Plates disappear?" Ash smirked. "You got some special Guardian King ability or something like that?"
Albrecht's eyes glimmered. "Something like that."
For a moment, the World Champion's wistful look reminded Ash of Sir Aaron.
But it wasn't until several weeks later that Ash's suspicions were confirmed.
Electricity crackled in Ash's palm, snapping and lacing around his fingers. Beside him Pikachu and Annihilape both shuddered, and they hunkered down, poised to charge. The nearest grunts to them took a wary step back, and Ash grinned.
Behind the throng of grunts in front of them, Aegislash tilted toward him. Even without a face, concern, clear as day, rose up upon it, as it sensed the tremendous power now emanating from Ash. Then, fast as lightning, it withdrew itself out from behind its shield and roared, a metallic screech echoing through the forest. Purple light wreathed its blade and it lunged forward, pointed directly at Ash.
Annihilape vanished, and reappeared a moment later directly in front of Aegislash. The sword reared back in surprise, but it didn't even have time to summon a shield before Annihilape's burly fist slammed into its eye. Immediately, it reversed velocity, careening back and plowing through AZ's men, and smashing through a line of trees, before hitting a rocky cliff, cracking it, and falling to the ground.
Annihilape snorted, dark violet flames wafting around his fist.
AZ's men stared in disbelief. Surely they'd believed their master's pokémon to be absolutely insurmountable, no pokémon of this age able to challenge its experience of three-thousand years. Their pokémon seemed nearly as shocked, but their sights were trained solely on Annihilape, the progenitor of such unfathomable power. To them, he was now the biggest threat.
Across the way, Aegislash rose slowly, shaking gravel and splinters off of itself. One of its shadowy arms snaked out and lifted its shield, bringing it back in front of itself. Its singular eye locked onto Annihilape, and it trembled with rage, the ground and cliff cratering around it, decimated by its anger.
Sweat dripped from Ash's brow, but he wiped it away. "I'll leave Aegislash to you, Annihilape."
The ghost-type grunted, and its fur began to flicker like fire as it summoned its wrathful power.
"Kill Ash Ketchum!" one of the grunts roared, breaking the others out of their trance.
The surrounded grunts and their pokémon let out a cry, and, determined to avenge their master's pokémon, they all charged at once toward Ash, priming elemental attacks.
Pikachu climbed up Ash's body and leaped off of his head with a shout. Electricity thundered through the air, and faster than the eye could follow, Pikachu blitzed through them all, zapping through the air so fast it was like his body was glitching. An entire line of grunts and their pokémon collapsed onto the forest floor as the rogue electric shocks defeated them instantly. But Pikachu never even dropped to the ground. He simply "glitched" over to another group and felled them all, then teleported behind Ash and slept them too. The remaining grunts could only watch in horror as nearly their entire group was defeated in a matter of seconds. As Pikachu swiveled to take on the last group, his cheeks sparking with white electricity, the grunts turned to run, abandoning the fight altogether. But Pikachu blitzed forward one last time and ran them down, and they fell to the ground with muffled screams. Pikachu landed atop one of their backs, panting from exertion.
Only the ground-types remained standing, a Golem, Swampert, and Sandslash utterly petrified in the face of such an overwhelming onslaught. Their eyes were bloodshot and wide with fear.
Ash dropped to his knee, breathing heavily. "Switch…Switch out with Annihilape, Pikachu. Defeat Aegislash."
The flat of Aegislash's blade arced around to slam into Annihilape's midsection, but at the last second, he braced the attack with his arm, and vanished into the ground, slithering through the shadows. Jumping up behind Aegislash, he pulled back to deliver the Phantom Force, but Aegislash spun in the air, nearly slashing him from forehead to jaw.
Pikachu squeaked and leaped into the quarrel, his tail hardened and black for an Iron Tail. Annihilape seemed to catch on, and he snorted angrily at having to give up on his prey. Nevertheless, his beady eyes saw his trainer kneeling on the ground, and he quickly identified the remaining threats.
As Pikachu engaged Aegislash, Annihilape somersaulted over them, landing between the three remaining pokémon. With an enemy now right in front of them, they seemed to regain some vigor, and snarled in defiance of their inevitable defeat. But before they could attack, Annihilape unleashed an all-out pummeling, jabbing each one multiple times in a single second. His arms became black blurs, and he roared as he increased the speed of his punches. Each hit released a harsh thump, but Annihilape was relentless, and the three pokémon's bodies convulsed beneath the unceasing assault. Finally, with one final punch, he ended his Close Combat, steam rising from his tightened fists. Golem, Swampert, and Sandslash all tipped backward, bruised, bloody, and beaten.
He turned back toward the fight with Aegislash, but growled dismissively upon seeing it, shaking his head.
Aegislash flung its shield, and it arced around to hit Pikachu, but the mouse blocked with his Iron Tail, then danced into the air. Pikachu screamed, and the heavens darkened. An effulgent knife of white lightning plunged down from the heavens and crashed upon Aegislash, coursing across its body and superheating the metal in an instant. The sword wailed, unleashing a hellish screech of pain, but Pikachu's Thunder continued its assault until smoke rose from Aegislash's form. Its shadowy arms went limp and recoiled into its body, and, with an otherworldly groan, it fell to the ground, sinking its blade into the earth and tilting forward slightly. It did not move again.
"Aghhh," Ash moaned, collapsing onto his ass, panting. Sweat stained his shirt and he sucked each breath in greedy mouthfuls. "That…was…hah…hah…awesome."
Annihilape grunted in agreement, waddling back over to his trainer while stepping on top of the bodies of the defeated without a care. Pikachu took one last look at Aegislash to make sure it was down, then scampered over, a concerned look on his face.
"That was great, you guys. Exactly what I had in mind." He paused to take in more air. "Now I just need to keep building my stamina up. Because that…really…takes a lot of energy." He groaned and stood up, then clutched his head painfully. "Damn. Stood up too quickly." After taking several more breaths, he closed his eyes, but they snapped open a moment later. "Shit! We need to go, now. AZ is already almost at the palace!"
Testing his strength, Ash took a shaky step forward, then another. Feeling good to go, he broke into a run, Annihilape and Pikachu following.
Land of Rota - South of the Town of Rota
Three thousand years.
Three thousand years
He had not faced an opponent of a worthy caliber in over three thousand years. It wasn't for lack of trying either. When the war ended, and his master was shackled and buried to be forgotten, with the fate of the defeated destined to befall him, he fled the battlefield. Back then, three thousand years ago, he had only an inkling of the power he now possessed. He'd been a force on the battlefield, but the fighting had been fierce and long, and in the end, they'd lost. So rather than suffer the same disgrace as his master, he fled. Corrupt, treacherous, evil. As the humans advanced and learned more about the world, they came to ascribe said labels, and more, to his species. But it was a simple calculus. There was nothing to be gained from sticking around to get imprisoned, domesticated, or slaughtered like the others. So he fled to lick his wounds and fight another day. And in those intervening three millennia, he trained. Eventually, even those the humans called "legendary" and "mythical" became easy foes. He got good enough to battle them into submission, rather than unleash his full power to completely decimate them, and risk ensnaring the attention of the humans. Life became boring. His master was still alive like he was, but why didn't he make a move? He kept anticipating it and anticipating it, always expecting a grand breakout just around the corner, and before he knew it, a thousand years had passed.
Eventually he met a man called Vandrick who claimed to serve his master, and a peek into his mind confirmed it to be true. So he allowed himself to be captured. What did it matter? His master's spirit appeared to be broken, and the war had ended years ago. Why not stick with those who still served him? It's not like he remained confined all the time. He explored the world, but three thousand years was a long time, and the world was not large enough to entertain him for so long. As his master's servants died, he was passed along to their descendants, again and again, though it made no difference to him. Several others were recovered over the years, but they were in a similar state as him. Bored, and waiting for their master to return. So he found no comfort in their company either. It wasn't like they'd gotten along all that well before either.
But eventually, he did return. And when he did, they all fell back to his side, as if no time at all had passed.
After waiting and waiting and waiting for so long, he had expected a worthy opponent when his master finally went to war again. In hindsight, he shouldn't have. He'd been training for three thousand years. Who or what could possibly oppose him now?
Malamar's black eyes narrowed at the sight of that girl, laying on the ground motionless, like a twig. Her Alakazam crouched next to her, and Malamar couldn't even bring himself to finish it off immediately. The sight of them together was just so pitiful.
The girl was psychic, obviously. Stronger than most. She'd infiltrated his soul and navigated her way to its core. Credit where it was due, that was impressive. But she couldn't follow through. All it'd taken was a Mirror Coat over his own soul to incapacitate her instantly. Clearly, she hadn't known he could do that. But again, how could she? She was, what? A decade or two old? Malamar was hundreds. This outcome was only natural.
Perhaps if Malamar wasn't so devoid of emotions now, he would've felt more than a numb disgust as he primed a Dark Pulse to obliterate his enemies. Remorse was out of the question, but he would've at least liked to have been able to respect them.
It's good this won't do any lasting damage. If it had, I'd have to make your defeat rather excruciating.
Malamar frowned, and as he did, the Alakazam stood and turned to look up at him. Psychic energy burned like fire in his eyes.
Malamar cocked his squirming head in curiosity, and stalled the charging of his Dark Pulse. You can speak to me telepathically, despite my darkness. I hadn't thought you capable of that. Till now, only the so-called "Legendaries" have been able to achieve such a feat.
I don't make a habit of communicating with those I intend to destroy. But for one as powerful as you, I thought I'd make an exception, since I think I'll have to let loose a little more than usual.
Malamar extinguished his Dark Pulse, the churning vortex spinning into a tiny speck, then vanishing from between his fins. He smirked. You're quite arrogant. What an unexpected, but supremely welcome surprise. If nothing else, perhaps your overwhelmingly conceited attitude will remain with me, after I turn your body and soul into smithereens on that grass. You, and your pathetic master, of course.
Alakazam glanced down at Sabrina, then back up at Malamar. Hmmm. I've already decided to destroy you, so your threats mean little to me now. But since we're already communicating, I suppose I'll say one more thing before we begin. One of his spoons became tinged in psychic power, and a pokéball carefully unhooked itself from Sabrina's belt, before floating over to Alakazam and stopping above his head. The silver lining of this situation is that since my master is asleep right now, she won't be able to witness what I'm about to do to you. I would hate it if she learned how truly monstrous I am.
For the first time in centuries, a chill ran down Malamar's back. There was something unnerving about the stoic way this one discussed his defeat, as if it were an obvious fact.
The energy around Alakazan's spoon flared, and the pokéball above him clicked, absorbing him back into it.
Malamar frowned, but a moment later, the pokéball clicked again, and Alakazam emptied out once more. His eyes widened.
Suddenly, Alakazam was so much more powerful. Before, its strength seemed minuscule compared to his own. But now, raw power emanated from its prone form, its whiskers fluttering in the windless air. Even though Alakazam was physically beneath him, he felt as if he was staring at it on even footing.
My master doesn't like conflict and tries to avoid it as much as possible," Alakazam said. As such, it only makes sense that she carelessly left my limiter on when you appeared. Not that it matters now.
Malamar glared at his opponent, but he couldn't stifle a mirthful cackle. A worthy opponent… Finally! Let us battle until—
The air in front of Alakazam shimmered, before bursting into a million pieces, and blinding Malamar with its scalding light. It burned, it burned away at his body, and he could smell his own flesh roasting beneath the inferno. He screamed, and tried to escape, but every direction he flew, the Dazzling Gleam followed him. Bracing against the agony, he summoned a Light Screen all around his body. He could feel the attack pressing against it, but it dulled the pain enough for him to come up with a counter. Just before the shield shattered, Malamar tore through it himself, plummeting down to the ground as he wreathed himself in dark energy. The light burned against it, but it held. His mind's eye found Alakazam instantly, since the creature could not hope to hide his unbelievable power. He slithered across the grass in half a second as the light seared his every sense, and his fin sharpened and darkened, poised to deliver a Night Slash that would cleave Alakazam in half.
The light suddenly faded as Alakazam called off the attack, and Malamar forced his vision to readjust in an instant. There it was before him, floating above the ground cross-legged. Malamar saw an invisible psychic dyad slip into the sky a moment before Alakazam teleported, and he immediately changed trajectory, bulleting into the sky before Alakazam had even finished reforming. The spoon-wielder's eyes widened upon seeing him, and he salivated at the sight of it. His eyes brimmed, restraining Alakazam in place, and he brought his fin down.
A network of light blitzed between the two combatants just before Malamar's fin raked across Alakazam's chest. Scarlet blood seeped from the wound, and Alakazam shot toward the ground, but Malamar frowned. That should have cur through it completely! My power…! A moment later, Malamar realized what had happened.
Alakazam caught itself before hitting the ground, swooping around until it was back in a sitting position hovering just above the grass. It touched its chest, and when it pulled away, its fingertips were stained red. But it didn't wince in the slightest.
You're quite the trickster, Malamar said, floating back down to it. But using Power Swap has only prolonged the inevitable. See? As he said it, he felt his own power flood back into his body. For one as powerful as I am, you could only swap our powers for a few seconds at most. It served only to protect you from a single attack.
Alakazam glanced at Malamar, betraying nothing. It's true, my power is nothing compared to yours. I'm sure suffering a single attack from you would mean the end of my life. By comparison, it would take many attacks from me to finally defeat you, and most of them, you could weather quite handily. But…I have no intention of dying here today.
Then come and defeat me! Malamar roared. The air around him twisted and snapped, five dark vortexes spiraling into form. Then, from the maw of each shot a barrage of Shadow Balls, all homing in on Alakazam.
Alakazam raised its spoons and summoned a rain of sharpened arcs of energy. Each one met a Shadow Ball in midair and sliced through it, expelling its power harmlessly. The Psycho Cuts and Shadow Balls clashed between them, bursting with explosions of purple-tinged smoke. The forest trembled around them, and once they realized they were at an impasse, they both increased the volume of their attacks, determined to break through to reach the other. Light and darkness flashed on both of their faces, and their eyes never left each other, as they each sought out the tiniest lapse in each other's defenses, be it mental or physical.
Malamar found it first. As one of his Shadow Balls was bisected in midair, one of the dissipating halves fell between them, obscuring their lines of sight for a moment. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but Malamar had caught it. Summoning several more Shadow Balls to keep up the barrage, Malamar surged forward through the onslaught, twisting and weaving between the explosions, and under their cover, he once again coated his fin in a Night Slash.
Just as he tore through the smoke, Alakazam vanished from right in front of him, and a moment later, he felt a spasming agony crash down upon his back. Then another, and another. Then, they came so fast he couldn't even count the individual impacts. It teleported right behind me! Because the distance was so close, I couldn't follow the dyad! He rocketed away, turning in the air to see his assailant, and his eyes widened.
Lightning covered one of Alakazam's fists, and fire covered the other. Instinctively, Malamar cast a gale of darkness outward to keep Alakazam's pummeling at bay, and surprisingly, it relented, lowering its fists and allowing him to regain his footing some distance away. Malamar burned with contempt. Showing mercy…to me?
I doubt you've come across very many, if any, Alakazam like me, Alakazam said. Doubtless, you thought I was a purely ranged attacker like all the rest. The thought of a melee encounter must have been unthinkable. He extinguished the Thunder Punch and Fire Punch in each hand. Unfortunately for you, I am adept at both. Alakazam's stoic eyes flashed with a carnal violence. So that I can pull apart my master's enemies however I need to.
Malamar glared at Alakazam, trying his best to ignore the pain on his back. The sight of Alakazam, who looked entirely unbothered by the gash across its chest, only enraged Malamar even more. I sensed no physical strength from it at all even after it disabled its limiter. It must have enhanced those punches with psychic power… To speed up its limbs and create more weight…it turned its own body into a puppet, with itself as puppeteer. Malamar would've chortled if it hadn't worked so well. Such an impractical skill, and for what?
The ground cracked beneath Malamar as he released a miasma of darkness. The grass grayed and shriveled, and the decay spread to nearby trees, crawling up their trunks in a carnivorous rot. Without warning, he launched forward in a crimson and gold nova of darkness. Again, Malamar locked Alakazam in place, and crushed its body too for good measure. It buckled under the strain and tried to fire off a Focus Blast or a Swift or some such similar move, but it didn't matter. Whatever it was got snuffed out upon hitting his cloak of darkness. When he was mere inches from Alakazam, Malamar summoned the largest Dark Pulse he could, and a giant pitch-black ball roiled into existence above his head, crackling with malice. It fed off his cloak of darkness, and even if Alakazam tried to dodge it, he was close enough now that the attack had caught its scent, and would chase him down till it devoured him.
Alakazam didn't have time to dodge, though. The orb consumed him, and detonated. As Malamar flipped away, a low-pitched scream blasted through the forest, spewing noxious darkness in all directions. The forest melted away where the black fumes touched it, reduced to organic slag in a matter of seconds. Malamar simpered as he watched it. He could sense Alakazam's body within the dark inferno, and did not detect even a hint of energy that could have protected it. Across the chasm, his master's man watched in horror and awe, and Malamar flushed with a sick pride.
As the scream died down to a whistle, the darkness slowly began to fade. Through the smoke, Malamar could see Alakazam's silhouette, curled on the ground like a pathetic infant. Once the darkness dissipated, the outcome was clear. Alakazam, or what was left of it, lay motionless on the ground. Parts of its limbs and torso had been completely disintegrated, with nothing but ash resting between the grisly remains of the rest of its corpse.
Malamar smiled. Arrogant little worm. It was fun while it lasted, but this was always the inevitable result. No pokémon of this age could ever hope to face me, much less, a psychic. As thanks for entertaining me, I'll send your master along right after you.
The girl still lay on the grass back where they'd begun the battle, and Malamar began floating toward her.
Now that we've both had our fun, I think it's time I end this.
Malamar froze. That voice was coming from Alakazam. He whipped around just in time to see the gruesome pile of burned skin and cinder disappearing in a haze of energy. Just behind the corpse, a magenta sheen slipped over the open air, revealing a perfectly undamaged Alakazam, looking rather disappointed.
What?
Alakazam walked around his remains, even though there wasn't a single atom of them left there. You're not weak by any stretch. I meant every word I said. And because of that, I ended up having to stall you for much longer than I usually have to, so I could have time to build the necessary power to end you.
Malamar's eye twitched, and his mind raced at a million miles a minute trying to process what was happening before him. I…I was fighting a Substitute this entire time? But its power…and even its corpse! It was like a perfect clone… Wait, 'build the necessary power?'
Malamar's eyes shined as he assessed Alakazam's form. Immediately, his stomach dropped and he shuddered. No… How could I have been so foolish…? Just how many Calm Minds did I let it use…?
Alakazam brimmed with a potency that could have put every single other pokémon Malamar had ever fought to shame. With every step, it rearranged the atoms beneath its feet, and the molecules of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the air. They transformed according to its will, reality itself shifting to accommodate it.
Malamar swallowed.
Alakazam fixed him with a wizened gaze, like a serial killer who'd been murdering his entire life and never got caught.
Malamar didn't even react upon feeling the Miracle Eye hit him, rendering his immunity nonexistent. Forgive me, Master. You waited so long, and I failed you.
Sabrina opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was drenched in sweat. A chill ran across her body, but she was thankful for it, because it meant the nightmare was over. The second thing she noticed was Alakazam staring down at her. The sight of him reminded her of where she was, before the nightmare had begun, and she bolted up, her dread momentarily forgotten.
Around her, the forest was blackened, though not from fire, by the looks of it. The path of carnage snaked further into the forest, away from the chasm. But Alakazam appeared unharmed. And it was quiet.
"Where's the enemy?" she asked.
Alakazam pointed with his spoon over to the chasm.
"You dumped it back down the chasm? Did you…defeat it?"
Alakazam stared into her eyes, then pointed at her belt. At her third pokéball, which she rarely opened.
"I…I see," she said, standing up. The memories of her past were still as fresh as blood in her mind, and as always, she searched frantically for a distraction. Luckily, there were many here. She looked across the chasm and saw that the portal had vanished, and several of AZ's acolytes lay unconscious on the grass.
"Did you do that?" she asked.
Alakazam nodded. Ever the stoic. She talked with him normally and telepathically, but he rarely responded back. If gestures would suffice, he always used them. It made her feel a bit guilty. She'd heard that pokémon take after their trainers, which meant his behavior was likely caused by her own detached personality.
She leapt over the chasm and touched down on the other side, determined not to look down. She didn't even want to look at that horrible creature, even defeated. Alakazam followed her, and she recalled him, silently thanking him. If not for him, who knows what would have happened to her?
But if the worst had happened, would it even…?
No, no, no, no.
Ash. Anabel. Cynthia. Zinnia. N. Sylvester. Ash. Anabel. Cynthia. Zinnia. N. Sylvester. Ash. Anabel. Cynthia. Zinnia. N. Sylvester.
She took a breath and extended her psychic sight across the lands. Ash was running back toward Cameran Palace, and—
"Anabel!" she said. The girl wasn't at Albrecht Manor where she expected. She was at the Tree of Beginning!
Where should she go now? Should she try and find Riley and let him know he was on a pointless errand to the manor, or should she go over there herself? Surely Anabel must have realized what was happening, but if she was still there after so much time had already passed since the attack began, it could only mean something was keeping her there.
Sabrina's gauntlets flared, but just before she could teleport, a voice entered her mind, and issued a command.
And she obeyed, immediately giving up on Anabel, and teleporting back toward Cameran Palace.
Land of Rota - Near Cameran Palace
AZ exhaled as he walked up to the cliff's edge. There it was in all its glory. Cameran Palace looked exactly the same as he remembered it. That white granite and those red roofs. Those golden maples and that pristine lake.
You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. As long as I'm king, you can always call Cameran Palace home.
AZ sneered at the memory that came unbidden to his mind. He crushed it into dust and cast it away. Once upon a time, he'd spent quite a bit of time here. Now, it would all crumble beneath him.
As he leapt off the cliff down to the forest below, he gripped his sixth pokéball, one of three that hadn't yet been vacated. This one would bring the Palace down.
Next — Chapter 38 : Jackaline Avatar
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Remnants of the Great War [29]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [29]
Chapter 38 : Jackaline Avatar
Remnants of the Great War Arc [29]
Chapter 38 : Jackaline Avatar
Land of Rota - West of the Town of Rota
"Please run with us, Sir Riley!"
The young Guardian ignored his comrade as he mounted Aerodactyl, heaving himself onto his hardened skin with a grunt. Although he was fast, Aerodactyl's stone body did not make a very comfortable cushion. "I can't do that," he said curtly.
"But that…thing has already destroyed our ranks! This battle is unsalvageable!" As the Guardian spoke, he trembled where he stood, clearly eager to get away as soon as possible. The only thing that kept him was his respect for Riley.
"That's why it's even more important that I take it on here. If left unchecked, that Dragalge could tip the scales on every one of our fronts, until only the Palace remained." He looked over at his fellow, meeting his eyes. "If you're going to run, take as many as you can with you. I fear this entire battlefield may not be spared."
The Guardian gulped and nodded. "Best of luck to you, Sir," he said, before turning and running toward a pair of fallen Guardians. He checked them, and at his arrival, the pair tried to lift themselves. As the Guardian lifted one's arm over his shoulder, another Guardian ran over to help, and together, they all limped away slowly.
Riley refocused his attention on the rest of the valley. Dragalge's Dragon Pulse had melted their defense, carving lines of destruction across the grass and sending the Guardians scattered. There was little they could do as AZ's acolytes ran them down from behind while they carried their wounded away from the battlefield. So much death… So much blood spilled… Riley closed his eyes. May you all find rest in the roots of the Tree of Beginning. He looked back up at Dragalge, rotten and terrible, hanging where it was in the sky. When this is over, let us speak again in the aether of Aura.
As he kicked Aerodactyl's sides, he recalled Lucario. "Hyeah! Take to the skies, Aerodactyl!"
The megalithic dinosaur rumbled, stony breath scraping against a stony throat, and he tromped forward before flinging himself into the air with a flap of his wings. Immediately, the black seaweed hanging from Dragalge wavered as its attention shifted to its assailant.
Behind that mask of rot, Riley saw its putrid bloodshot eyes tremble with fury, and he couldn't help but shudder. Well, at least we got its attention. Now, we just have to pray that this works. He unclipped another pokéball from his belt and gripped it tightly as Aerodactyl soared around the creature. "Rock Slide, Aerodactyl! Batter its head!"
Aerodactyl grunted and summoned a volley of boulders around him, then launched them at Dragalge with a flap of his colossal wings. Dragalge glared at the incoming attack, and its rotten mouth twitched, before bursting out a gleaming ray of draconic energy, shattering the boulders in midair.
Aerodactyl rocketed out of the way, but Dragalge swept its head, zeroing in on him.
Riley's eyes widened as his face became basked in an azure glow, and the Dragon Pulse streaked past him, missing him by mere inches. Despite the attack not hitting though, it still felt like the side of his face had been thrust into fire for half a second, and he grimaced.
As Aerodactyl flew away from the dread dragon, Riley clapped him on the neck. "No, get closer! Rock Slide, again!"
Aerodactyl roared and changed trajectory, slicing across the sky beside the Dragon Pulse. Riley grit his teeth and hung on for dear life as Aerodactyl swung beneath it before it could hit them, then flipped back over, and darted toward its face again. Without slowing down, Aerodacyl flung another cragged avalanche at Dragalge.
As they got closer, the air seemed to thicken, and Dragalge's stench began to penetrate Riley's Aura defenses. His eyes started to water again, and he started breathing through his mouth. But he didn't waste time to see the result of Aerodactyl's attack. Once they were close enough, he hurled the pokéball in his hand into the air, above Dragalge's head. "Now, get behind it!" Riley commanded.
Aerodactyl's zipped past Dragalge just as its Dragon Pulse cleaved the air where he'd been a second ago. Flying so close to Dragalge, Riley could make out the individual rotten fronds of black seaweed that hung over its dark, sallow body. The smell was overwhelming here, and Riley was grateful when Aerodactyl curved around and put some distance between them.
As Dragalge swiveled in the air, sending a drizzle of black acid raining down below, Riley's pokéball snapped open above it.
A Metagross, already wreathed in a burning nova of energy, crashed down Dragalge's head. The dragon's tenuous body snapped downward, but it caught itself, releasing a guttural, gurgling roar. But Metagross wasn't done. Instead of falling all the way to the ground, Metagross' arms shot through Dragalge's poisonous vines and it dug its iron claws into Dragalge's body, latching on and hanging onto its torso.
Dragalge writhed in the air, and Riley shuddered at the sight of it. It looked like a demon, the way its wings rippled across the sky in a maddened frenzy. Its howling scream was unceasing, filled with rage that something had deigned to touch it. As it squirmed, psychic blasts scorched Dragalge's skin as Metagross unleashed a torrent of Psychics and Psyshocks. However, the attacks didn't seem to do much besides incense Dragalge even further.
Riley forced himself to focus through the cacophony, and kicked Aerodactyl to ascend. As he circled around Dragalge's back, he lost sight of Metagross on its front, and prayed it'd be okay. Beneath them, he saw AZ's acolytes pause their pursuit of the Guardians in order to look skyward. Take this opportunity and run! Fall back to the palace! Riley thought.
Aerodactyl snorted once they were at the proper height, and Riley swallowed, letting go of his grip on Aerodactyl's back and raising both hands. Founts of Aura swirled into view upon his palms, and a moment later, Aerodactyl's entire body tensed beneath him as Riley shared his power.
An utterly disgusting sound drew Riley's attention back to Dragalge. Black tar, thick and smoking, poured from Dragalge's shriveled up mouth in a repulsive vomit. It poured like a faucet down in front of it, with rivers of oily drool dribbling down his body.
"Metagross!" Riley yelled.
He could see Dragalge's poison crashing and breaking around Metagross' body, but he couldn't see even an inch of his pokémon beneath the black deluge. The poison dripped off its body down to the ground below, leaving puddles of smoking acid on the grass.
A few seconds later, Metagross detached and fell back to earth, landing beneath a shower of poison in a plume of dirt and dust.
Metagross is a steel-type! Poison shouldn't be effective! Riley cursed, upon realizing his pokémon wasn't getting back up. He grit his teeth and turned back to Aerodactyl, flaring his Aura again. "While it's still distracted, use Rock Slide from above, full power!"
Rocks and boulders materialized above Dragalge, but this time, they were far larger and plentiful, thanks to Riley's added strength. In fact, for the second that the boulders hung above Dragalge, they cast a shadow over the dragon, and it looked up. It looked as if an entire mountain had been shattered, with its remains now suspended over Dragalge.
Aerodactyl growled, releasing his hold on all the rocks. Riley's azure eyes shined brighter, and he pumped his Aura into as many of the rocks as he could, increasing their velocity.
Dragalge screeched, and the air and ground both began to tremble. The skies darkened as storm clouds rolled into existence, and several thin bolts of lightning cracked down below, setting the forest ablaze. A gale of wind nearly knocked Riley off of Aerodactyl, but he grabbed on again, gritting his teeth and clamping an eye closed.
Three churning Twisters opened around Dragalge, shredding the first volley of rocks that came shooting down toward Dragalge. But Aerodactyl roared, and Riley assisted him, forcing the Rock Slide through the slashing winds. The sheer volume of rock made it so the boulders that didn't make it through became shielding shards for the others, slightly diminishing the strength of the Twister for just a moment. But a moment's opening was all they needed.
The first boulder, three times larger than Dragalge's head, shattered against its head, and it flinched. Then came another, and another, pounding against its back and one of its wings. Each boulder looks like a comet, ringed in blue Aura as they broke and exploded on Dragalge's skin. The dragon howled, but the bombardment only increased, raining down upon it an unrelenting assault. Then, slowly, Dragalge began to fall, screeching and screaming as the rocks shredded between its gaunt wings and filthy ropes of seaweed.
In spite of its size, when Dragalge fell upon the ground on its side, it sounded like a tree hitting the ground after getting cut down. Its branchlike limbs splayed out across the grass, disintegrating it instantly, and it hissed in rage. Boulders continued to crash down on its wiry body, sinking into the decimated earth and burying its limbs beneath them.
Aerodactyl whipped around and sailed back to the ground, weaving through the wild Twisters, which continued to exert their annihilation on the surrounding environment. The moment Aerodactyl touched back down, Riley leapt off and started sprinting across the swampish ground. Moistened soil and rotten grass clung to his feet, but he forced himself forward, away from the dragon, who still lay unmoving before him.
Metagross lay in a puddle of black acid, half its body sunk into the ground. Unfortunately, it was as Riley had seen. The poison was somehow eating through Metagross' steel, smoking as it corroded its limbs and head.
Riley could see it trying to lift itself, but to no avail. He could hear faint murmurings upon his mind as it moaned in pain telepathically. Metagross…
A scalding azure blinded the side of Riley's face, and a moment later, Aerodactyl blitzed between him and Dragalge, taking the full brunt of a Dragon Pulse on his stone wings.
"Aerodactyl!"
The dinosaur groaned as he strained against the beam, its energies splashing over his body, slowly overwhelming him. But before Riley could reinforce his partner with Aura, Aerodactyl buckled, and Riley had to jump back as he went flying away, a crackling shaft of draconic power barreling between him and Metagross.
Aerodactyl smashed into a hill, but did not rise.
I didn't even hear it get up, Riley cursed, his attention turning back to the giant seahorse. Its mouth gurgled, and its eyes were a murderous red. Slowly, it heaved itself back up, ripping itself out from beneath the boulders, its mangled seaweed blowing in the gales of wind cast by its Twisters. It stared down at Riley, pure hatred emanating from its entire form, though the bottom third of its body still brushed against the ground. It seemed unable to fly fully.
Then it screamed, and a great rumble swept across the valley, blowing the trees and grass wildly. The clouds above darkened, and thunder boomed. Drops of water began to fall from the heavens, slowly at first, but they quickened. Before long, the entire valley was soaked in an incessant downpour.
Riley swallowed and recalled Metagross and Aerodactyl, before withdrawing another pokéball. The rain fell upon his face as he thumbed the release.
Absol materialized into existence, and growled, completely unfazed by the behemoth that hung in front of them like a demonic angel of judgment. Lightning flashed behind it, turning its silhouette black, enhancing the hellish image. With the Twisters raging behind it, the entire sight of Dragalge looked like something out of a nightmare, but Riley stood his ground.
The vista before him would've been completely inconceivable to Riley a month ago, but even now, it was hard to believe the circumstances he now found himself in. This poisonous dragon the size of a building was one of the personal partners of AZ, the corrupt king from the Great War of three thousand years ago. And as he fought as hard as he could against this force of nature, AZ himself advanced on Cameran Palace, for the purpose of slaying Sir Aaron himself, who had made a miraculous return, also from three thousand years ago.
All these relics of the past seemed to press down on him like a weight, threatening to crush him beneath their ancient grandeur. Not just King Aaron and AZ, but even this Dragalge, which Riley could sense nothing but bestial hatred from, brought a conviction to this war that dwarfed his own many times over. These were forces that were colliding over a vengeance three thousand years in the making. How could the feelings of Riley, a man of a mere twenty-three years, ever hope to stand up to that?
These titans, and their games…
Frankly, it pissed Riley off.
As Dragalge glowered down at him, he met the giant seahorse with a stalwart glare of his own, and Absol mimicked him.
Riley had spent nearly his entire life at Cameran Palace. He'd been discovered on the Iron Islands by a Guardian as a young boy and taken to Rota, where he learned to harness and command Aura. And when he came of age, he set off across Sinnoh to spread the Guardians' teachings, as his predecessors had done before him, since even before the Great War.
But Rota was his home. And the Guardians were his brothers.
By what right did AZ and his three thousand year old grudge march on his home, with the intention of razing it to the ground?
And for what? To bury one, single man. A man who, according to the Guardians' archives, had sacrificed his body and soul to bring an end to the war? That was the man AZ sought to kill?
Riley clenched his fist, Aura burning on his hand, blazing bright against the furious storm falling around him. "It's time to unleash our power, Absol," he declared. "Let us show this one the strength of our unshatterable bond!"
The Aura flared around Riley's outstretched fist, and soon, a torrent of Aura blazed to life around Absol. The azure flames flickered across her body until they became so dense, all Riley could see was her silhouette behind them. Absol's maw opened within the inferno, and she roared, dispelling the blaze. A pair of wings unfurled, and Absol's elongated horn shined jet black even in the rainy gloom.
Immediately, Riley felt their hearts, no, their souls, connect. Their lives were shared now, and any damage inflicted upon Mega Absol would be felt by him. He could feel Absol's fury coursing through his own veins, and tasted her unbridled power upon his own tongue.
Get ready, Absol. I'll back you up, Riley said.
Absol nodded, pawing the muddy ground.
With a baleful screech, Dragalge hurled all three Twisters at Absol. They tore across the ground, ripping up dirt and grass, and crushing stones along their path. A bolt of lightning cracked down upon one of them, illuminating its terrible power from within for just a moment. Blue and violet dragon energy spiraled in a dark nova of destruction, and it nearly looked alive the way it roared as it lurched toward Absol.
Riley issued a command wordlessly, and Absol bounded forward, her horn sharpening. As all three Twisters closed in on her, she leapt, facing their fury head on. Just before they engulfed her, Riley wreathed his entire body in Aura. As Absol disappeared into the middle Twister, the other two collapsed in on it, and they spasmed wildly as their powers churned together to inflict maximum damage on their foe.
Though Riley couldn't see Absol anymore, he could certainly feel her. The wind and fire of the Twisters burned against his own body, but his Aura protected him, albeit barely. Despite coating himself in more Aura than he'd ever had to before, it felt like his body could shred apart at any minute. He grit his teeth and dropped to a knee, sinking his fingers into the ground to stabilize himself. It felt like his body was being sent through a washing machine. He knew that if he faltered for even a moment, Absol would be consumed by the attack, and he would go with her. But, of course, Absol had no intentions of remaining within the maelstrom for long.
A pitch black slash cleaved the air in front of Riley, carving straight through the hyperventilating cyclone in a thick and jagged line. The Twister dispersed in an instant, and within, Absol's form burned, her eyes glowing a fearsome crimson. Jet black energy wafted from her horn like smoke, and periodic flaps of her wings kept her aloft. She would've looked like a demon straight out of hell, if not for the azure radiance of Aura surrounding her body.
Riley grinned. Excellent work. Now, let's do something with this Night Slash.
The arc of pulsating energy still hung in the air where it had sliced the Twister apart, and as Absol reared her head, the arc responded accordingly, twisting through the air. It released a harsh screeching as it moved, like barbed wire dragged across ice. As Absol spun in the air, the Night Slash curled further into a discus, and with each revolution, its surface seemed to become smoother, and sharper. Soon, the screeching disappeared entirely, spinning silently around Absol, now nearly paper-thin.
As much as it could, Dragalge sneered. The crown of rot on its head throbbed and glowed.
Now!
Absol screamed, and hurled the discus forward. It whizzed through the air, gyrating on its horizontal axis until it looked like a giant atom, with jet black electrons spinning furiously around a nucleus of pure malevolence. A shaft of lighting blitzed down from the heavens to intercept it, and struck the discus despite its terrifying velocity. But instead of disappearing, the Night Slash cut through Dragalge's Thunder just like it had the Twister, shredding it in an instant until nothing but dancing static and the stench of ozone remained in the air. Without even slowing, it continued toward its target.
Dragalge's eyes widened in surprise. But before it could summon another attack, the Night Slash slashed into it with a burst of crimson energy. It scraped up its body relentlessly, and Dragalge howled as rotten seaweed and putrid scales were ripped off of it forcefully in a violent display of carnage.
Riley allowed himself a smile, but the dragon was still active. Psycho Cut! he ordered. Aim for its head!
While Dragalge was still in the throes of agony, Absol surged forward, before leaping into the air and ascending toward the dragon's mottled head. Upon sensing her, Dragalge ceased its thrashing, and its bloodshot eyes instantly locked onto the wolf. Faster than what should've been possible, especially since it'd been in such pain mere moments ago, Dragalge weaved further up into the sky, its poisonous fronds flowing in the storm. Lightning flashed above it, and before Absol could react, its bloody tail whipped around slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her.
Riley grimaced as Absol shot back to the ground, smashing into it in a spray of mud. She grunted as she pulled herself back to her feet, then shook the mud from her furry hide.
She didn't even have time to scream before a column of water came crashing down on her like a waterfall.
"Absol!" Riley roared, watching as the merciless torrent pushed his partner further and further away.
Despite its width, Dragalge's Hydro Pump was unbelievably pressurized. It cut across the ground like a laser, carving a fissure into the grass and burying Absol beneath a froth of wrathful white foam.
Looking back up at the seahorse, Riley could see its nozzle-like mouth throbbing as it pumped out a seemingly depthless volume of water onto his pokémon. Despite his Aura protections, Riley's head felt like it was splitting in two, the water crashing down on Absol affecting him just the same. The seconds went by, and pain turned to horror as Riley realized Dragalge had no intentions of halting this attack until Absol was defeated. It isn't tiring in the slightest… The rain is making this attack even stronger! Shit! He turned back to Absol, or where he assumed Absol was, beneath the Hydro Pump's assault. Zen Headbutt, Absol! Protect yourself, and get closer!
Riley's searing headache fading told him that Absol had heard him.
Before him, Absol had stopped being pushed back, and the ground ruptured beneath her as she stood her ground against the watery onslaught. Then, slowly, she started trudging forward against the current, soldiering on one step at a time.
Riley's heart became inflamed in pride at the sight of her. You think we need to be three thousand years old to stand up to you? We are Guardians of Rota! So long as evil exists in this world, we will stand against it and rebuke it with all our strength!
Although Absol tried to breach the water and escape the Hydro Pump, Dragalge simply angled the attack slightly in either direction to ensure Absol remained in the center.
Don't bother trying to escape. Use the water as cover. It knows you're approaching it so it'll be wary. Once you get close enough, I'll lend you my Aura, and we'll strike at its heart before it has a chance to react. Just like before!
He felt Absol acknowledge him, and he turned back to the dragon. If anything, it seemed more amused than worried at Absol's resistance, and Riley scowled. He raised his hand and summoned forth his Aura.
Dragalge's tangled shadow stretched across the ground, and once Absol passed beneath it, Riley unleashed his power, sending it to aid his partner. Psycho Cut! he commanded. We need to end this. Imbue not just your horn, but your claws and fangs with it as well.
Riley felt his own defenses lessen as his Aura flooded Absol, and all of a sudden, Absol ripped through the Hydro Pump, jumping skyward. Her eyes glowed a fierce purple, a blend of her crimson fury and his azure determination.
Dragalge tried to catch Absol in the Hydro Pump again, but she blitzed to the side, dodging. She zigzagged up the dragon's body, refusing to let it land a hit. As she ascended, white light began to stream off of her, and her horn, claws, and fangs elongated.
In one last blitz, Absol appeared right in front of Dragalge's head. Psychic power poured off of her in waves, tinged with the glitter of Aura.
Dragalge cut off the Hydro Pump, and its beady eyes locked onto Absol. Those malicious eyes flashed with a darkness that somehow outstripped Absol's own, and Riley frowned just before Absol struck.
A brilliant nova erupted upon Dragalge's head, but a moment later, the entire sky turned a filthy purple, drenching everything in a thick and cloying film of poison. It bubbled out of Dragalge's crown, but with the blinding explosion Absol had set off, it was impossible for Riley to discern who had been damaged by what. The Psycho Cut's energy hissed against Dragalge's skin, but the poison enacted a silent toll.
Soon after the clash, Riley started to feel the effects of the poison himself, even from all the way down on the ground. Clearly Absol was taking damage, but a moment later, he stopped feeling it.
Dragalge, despite unleashing its poison, tipped backward with a cacophonous croak, its head steaming. It looked like its eyes were rolled back into its head, for all Riley could see were its red sclera.
Soon after, something penetrated the poisonous fog, and Absol fell back to earth, landing in a heap beside Riley.
Riley was speechless at the sight of his pokémon. She was horribly mangled, as if her body had been possessed, and she'd gotten her limbs stretched beyond the limits of her joints. Riley realized with horror and anguish that this was the result of his own pokémon, twisting and seizing in terrible agony. As for the cause of such agony, Riley noted another symptom: a line of poisoned black blood trickled from Absol's nose. Seconds passed, but she made no sign of getting back up.
"You silly girl," he said softly. "You severed our bond of Mega Evolution on your own so I would be spared from the poison…" He knelt and stroked her damp fur, though he was careful to protect himself with Aura. Droplets of purple poison covered his pokémon like morning dew. "Thank you. You did well." He pulled out her pokéball and recalled her.
He hesitated before bringing forward his next pokéball. Glancing around, he realized how quiet the valley had become. The Guardians seemed to have finished evacuating, taking AZ's acolytes with them. But more importantly, it seemed like the portal had finally shut down, as more enemies did not emerge from the surrounding forest.
Riley closed his eyes, brushing his fingers over the rest of his pokéballs, and settling on Lucario's. It seems Sabrina held up her end of the deal. I need to end this now, and hold up my end.
He released Lucario once more in a waft of misty Aura.
At his arrival, Dragalge groaned, and shifted forward, sensing the presence of a new enemy already. Though its head was still smoking, enough so that Riley couldn't even see half of it, it angled itself toward Lucario, ready to enact more pain and destruction.
Riley exhaled, and lowered himself to the ground. It was muddy and disgusting, but he didn't care. He sat down and crossed his legs before him, then closed his eyes. He established a mental link with Lucario immediately.
Absol and the others softened it up for you. All you need to do is deliver the finishing blow.
Without waiting for Lucario's reply, Riley began to amass his remaining Aura within himself. Blue light began to leak from his eyelids, and upon seeing the volume of Aura his master was summoning, Lucario immediately understood and clenched both his fists.
Of course, he wasn't the only one. Across the battlefield, Dragalge reared back, and its entire body shuddered as it primed another attack, this one clearly stronger than all the rest. The decayed roots hanging from it and the purple scales on its chest began to turn translucent, and red poison could be seen rushing through it. It was as if the poison coursing just beneath the surface was so potent it was affecting its own master's body too.
Riley began to shake as his own Aura threatened to break free from its vessel. The veins on his temple bulged and his eyes trembled beneath their lids.
"Now!" he said. "Jackaline Avatar!"
Lucario roared, and a geyser of Aura sprang up around himself, engulfing his entire body. It was like a blinding beacon, pumping its seemingly endless power skyward. It sizzled and snapped as it grew, spitting embers of Aura into the air. But as more and more power siphoned into Lucario's body, the geyser stabilized, and soon it began to stretch and contort. It split into an arch, and gushed even higher. Two appendages bunched together and curled into existence at its sides, before finally reaching its apex, molding into a spherical shape at the very top, smaller than the mass beneath it. Two peaks jutted out from the top, and the front stretched and elongated.
It was a giant automaton made of pure Aura, as tall as Dragalge. Azure light coursed across its surface, and its whole body seemed to ripple with power. Lucario rested unseen within its chest, and the Aura was brightest there, nearly white in color.
Without waiting for an order, the giant jackal started running forward, each massive footstep shaking the earth and sending a spray of mud splashing out from beneath its foot. As it got closer, it pulled back one of its fists.
Dragalge's entire body was now coursing with poison. Just before Lucario reached it, it unleashed a horrifying torrent. The liquid burst out thick and steaming, and blood-red. Some of it fell in drops to the ground, where it instantly melted through grass, mud, and stone alike like acid.
Lucario raised his other hand to block the oncoming poison, but after splashing against it for only a second, the poison burst through, dissolving his arm in a matter of moments, the Aura fizzling into nothingness. With nothing in its way, Dragalge raked its poison across the avatar's entire left side, destroying it wherever it touched.
However, even missing the left side of its torso and its entire left arm, the avatar spun on the ball of its foot, pivoting around the column of poison, and continued on its charge. As it ran, the frayed ends of its body gleamed, and another burst of Aura restored its missing body parts. Upon reaching Dragalge, Lucario jumped, and before Dragalge could react, his foot swung out and careened into the dragon's midsection.
Its body bulleted backward, crimson poison splattering all over the avatar. But though it burned through, the holes were quickly filled with more Aura, and Lucario continued its onslaught. The avatar surged forward and stomped down on Dragalge's body, sending another punch crashing atop its chest. Spittle flew from the dragon's mouth and eyes rolled back as its stomach caved in. It tried to rise, but twin fists smashed down on it to keep it grounded. It roared in frustration and anger, but the avatar was relentless, laying into it with countless punches, each one shaking the ground, and the trees in the forest around them.
Riley watched from over the hills as his partner brutalized Dragalge. As one of the strongest Guardian techniques, they'd been practicing it for a long time. But this was the first time they'd ever used it in a real battle against a real opponent. It took the combined Aura of both Riley and Lucario to create the avatar, but even then, they could only sustain it for so long, and it would exhaust both of them. Although Lucario was getting all the glory, it was no stretch to say that this wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of the others, whittling Dragalge down enough so that Lucario could make full use of this trump card.
After what seemed like ages, the pummeling finally stopped, and the valley fell quiet once again, save for the rain. Lucario's avatar rose from Dragalge's fallen body, its fists clenched. Then, the avatar wavered, and disappeared in a flash of Aura. Lucario dropped to the ground, landing on a knee, but promptly collapsed onto his side, into the mud.
Riley jogged over, trying to ignore the dull pain coursing through his veins that made his whole body ache. Lucario had it far worse, for sure. As he got closer, the giant dragon's stench penetrated his Aura and made his eyes water. Even defeated, it still held an eerie horror to it, with its twisted seaweed and otherworldly coloration. Looking away, Riley suppressed a shudder.
Lucario was breathing softly, his eyes closed, and Riley knelt down next to him.
"Lucario?" Riley said.
The jackal didn't stir, but a few seconds later, Riley heard a faint mumbling at the back of his mind, and he smiled.
"Don't speak. Get some rest, my friend. You did wonderfully. Thank you." He pressed his pokéball against Lucario, recalling his first partner.
The rain was slowly lightening to a drizzle, but the sky above wasn't brightening. The dark clouds remained over the valley, allowing little sunlight to penetrate through.
As much as he didn't want to leave Dragalge here, there was nothing Riley could do about it now. War still raged on in Rota, and despite defeating Dragalge, ultimately, it'd done its job. Their lines had been pushed all the way back to the Palace.
Pulling out his last pokémon, Riley deployed Ursaluna. The bear snorted in disgust at Dragalge, and Riley mounted his back.
"Forward, Ursaluna, as fast as you can!"
As they raced toward Albrecht Manor, he prayed Anabel was still alright.
Land of Rota - Tree of Beginning
"This is such a shame. If only you'd died properly against my master…" Lord Vandrick shook his head.
Before him, Anabel lay collapsed on the grass, clutching her bloody stump, her hand sticky and red. Tears stained the corners of her eyes as pain wracked her body. Latias lay beside her, bruised and exhausted nearly to the point of defeat, but she seemed to be refusing to allow herself to fall, determined to protect her master. Her opaline eyes glared at Vandrick, and his Noivern that gnashed its teeth beside him.
"If nothing else, you went through far more of my roster than expected, even with your injury. I can't imagine it'd be possible, even for you, to formulate a proper battle strategy against a foe like me under such debilitating duress. In recognition of your skills, I'll make it quick."
He raised his hand, and Noivern tromped beside him, angling itself to deliver the final blow. "Boomburst," Vandrick said, bringing his hand down.
Anabel cursed silently at her weakness, at her arm, at the pain. If only she'd never lost her arm. If only she could've bore the pain just a little while longer. If only she'd preserved the health of this one or that one just a little bit more. As much as she hated excuses like that, they were impossible to stifle. They flooded her mind unbidden. In the face of certain death, it was surprising how analytical she could be, even through the agony. Of course, the outcome was still the same. Vandrick had defeated her, and with half his pokémon still remaining too.
Her heart broke for Sabrina. How would that girl respond if she died? Not to be conceited, but she was certain it'd be awful.
But it wasn't an if. It was a when. And it was now.
The air around Noivern's ears warbled as it charged its attack.
"Nightmare Crucible."
Darkness, pure and black, burbled on the ground beneath Noivern. it barely had time to screech in confusion, before the darkness swirled up around it, completely encasing it in a roiling sphere of black mist.
Vandrick recoiled, but no words came out of his mouth. It seemed even he had no idea how to respond to such an incomprehensible attack.
Noivern's screeching could be heard within, but they were muffled. The sphere churned and seethed, and before long, it faded, dropping its prey back to the ground.
Noivern released an ear-splitting scream, but its eyes were clamped shut, and it spasmed wildly, thrashing about on the ground, and tearing up grass and soil in the process.
"Dreamscape Splinter."
Fractals of amethyst light cracked into view around Noivern, clinking and echoing as they shattered the very air around it. The cracks became denser and denser, obscuring Noivern's body like frosted glass. Then, they all shattered, forcing a gale of wind out in all directions.
Anabel's eyes narrowed as her hair and clothes were blown about. When the wind faded, the air around Noivern looked decimated, like reality itself had been destroyed around it. The dragon itself lay unmoving, but bloody lacerations covered its body. Vandrick stood speechless to the side, still as a statue, as if afraid that if he moved, he would be targeted next.
As Anabel stared in awe at the sight before her, she felt a slender but strong arm drape itself beneath her and lift her off the ground.
"You've done more than enough, Anabel. Now, leave the rest to me," Cynthia said.
On her left, a billowing Darkrai glowered at Vandrick, his crimson crest pulsating, and on her right, the ever-ethereal Cresselia hovered motionlessly, all the mirth gone from her eyes.
Next — Chapter 39 : Eye of the Storm
Sorry for the delay, was very busy this past week, and will be very busy this week as well, so there will be no chapter this upcoming weekend. Next chapter should be 5/26.
Side note: I've been keeping the names "Dreamscape Splinter" and "Nightmare Crucible" in my back pocket for no less than eight years, so I'm glad I was finally able to write this scene. I plan to include a sort of reflection at the end of the arc, looking back on what I think I did well and what I think could've been better, so I'll probably talk about this and more there.
Thank you for reading!
Remnants of the Great War [30]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [30]
Chapter 39 : Eye of the Storm
Remnants of the Great War Arc [30]
Chapter 39 : Eye of the Storm
Land of Rota - Southeast of Cameran Palace
Ash's chest burned as he ran through the forest beside Pikachu and Annihilape, and he exhaled loudly as he stuffed his hand in his pocket. Trying not to slow down, he pulled out his ringing phone and answered it, pressing it against his sweaty face.
"Ash," Sylvester said sternly on the other end.
"Sylvester! Sorry…I didn't have time to call you" Ash panted.
"No matter. I saw the news that Rota is under attack. I presume you haven't found AZ yet since you were able to answer this call?"
"Not…yet. He's close to the Palace now and I'm on my way there."
"Well, then I'll make it quick. I'm on my way to Rota now, but expect to see Cynthia there shortly."
Ash frowned in surprise, and his pokémon glanced over at him. "Cynthia?"
"Yes. Immediately after I told her about the attack, I passed out and woke up several minutes later, and she was gone from the island. Darkrai's work, I assume, blasted thing. With Spiritomb's help, she may already be there."
"Why would she come here if she wanted us out in the first place?"
"I couldn't tell you. She's said nothing this past month, but I'm certain she wouldn't return to Rota just to try and pull Paragon out again. It's too late for that. I assume she teleported to Sabrina or Anabel if you haven't seen her, Anabel if I had to guess. In any case, I was just on the phone with N, but he cut out before we could finish our conversation. He and Zinnia were ambushed by AZ's forces in Kalos as well, but he was able to break through and was heading underground when he cut off. I tried calling Zinnia, but no response, so I can only hope she's also underground en route to AZ's hideout."
"Anything else you can tell me?" Ash asked. "Is the International Police on their way?"
"No, they're not. I confess I don't really know who wears the pants in the relationship between Cynthia and Interpol, but at the very least, it seems they're following through with her hands-off directive. Why, what's the situation looking like over there?"
"I don't really know. The town south of the Palace was already overrun with AZ's men when we joined the battle, and Sabrina split off to take care of the psychic portal we told you about. My Guardian friend Riley went to go protect Anabel, and I just took out a whole group of AZ's men along with his Aegislash."
"His Aegislash?"
"Yeah. I'm not sure how many pokémon AZ has personally, but if they're all about the same level, then we could be in trouble. And that's not even the worst of it. I'm pretty sure Sabrina, Anabel, and Riley could handle AZ's pokémon if they came across them, but it's AZ's men that are the real problem. They're veterans of battle, way stronger than the grunts of any other evil organization I encountered in the past. I handled them just fine, but I think even the Guardians may struggle against them if they don't have much experience in battle. Plus, they somehow have the numbers advantage. I can't believe AZ was able to amass such a powerful army so quickly."
"Hmm, we'd assumed the Guardians could easily handle whatever the basic unit of AZ's force ended up being, but if they're matching the Guardians man to man, or beating them outright in some cases, that will greatly shift the tide of the attack. It seems Paragon and the World Champion both underestimated the speed at which AZ would be ready for war."
"Yeah. I wish I could help them, but AZ has done a good job keeping us all tied up. Oh yeah, Albrecht is actually Sir Aaron, but he's…I mean, it's a long story, but he hasn't joined the battle yet."
There was a pause on the other end. "Sir Aaron…I'm sorry, I don't know who that is."
"He was one of the greatest heroes in Guardian history. I met him once, kind of, when I was still on my journey," Ash said awkwardly.
"I see. Well, I'm sure he has a good reason for not showing himself just yet. I'd ask but I don't want to keep you any longer. Since Cynthia has taken to the field, I'll remain the nexus between us all. For you guys at Rota, use Sabrina to communicate with each other. Against an enemy like AZ, we must be as unified as possible."
"Got it."
"Best of luck, Ash. And please, don't be too reckless."
"I never am," he smiled, and peeled the phone off his face, stuffing it back in his pocket. Annihilape grunted at his side and Ash nudged him. "Sarcasm, buddy. Loosen up. The real fight is still ahead of us..."
As Annihilape pumped his fists and Pikachu squeaked with determination, Ash focused back on the path ahead, taking in deep breaths and trying to stretch his muscles and much as he could as he ran. His body was still a bit sore from the fight with Aegislash, and he wanted to be in the best condition possible before they made it to the Palace. Because unfortunately, it seemed like that's where they'd be reuniting.
Please hurry, Sir Aaron!
Land of Rota - Tree of Beginning
Cynthia stood up slowly, and gently handed Anabel off to her Lucario, who stood resolutely at her side.
"Cynthia…? How did you…? I thought…" the girl sputtered.
"Don't speak," Cynthia said. "It'll only make your injury worse. I'll explain everything when this is over. Lucario, take her to the Palace, please."
Lucario grunted, and before Anabel could get out another word, he lifted her carefully into his arms, and began sprinting south. Lord Vandrick made no move to intercept them as they ran past, and they soon disappeared into the forest.
Darkrai and Cresselia both had their gazes trained on Vandrick, as did Cynthia, but the man seemed to have recovered from his initial surprise, and now stood before them, seemingly unbothered. "Six pokéballs, minus one, makes five. Three more beyond the two in front of me," he murmured, eyeing Cresselia and Darkrai as he drummed the many pokéballs on his own belt. "Compared to my ten, the odds are still in my favor." He looked up and smiled. "Champion Cynthia. You're a long way from Sinnoh."
"Not as far as you. What could possibly bring a Kalosian business mogul like you to the foot of the Tree of Beginning in northern Kanto?"
Vandrick smirked and rubbed his hands. "I could ask the same of Sinnoh's Champion. This place falls well outside your jurisdiction. Then again, our World Champion is a tad peculiar, isn't he? This wouldn't be the first time the Champions have been shuffled into foreign territory."
"I am here of my own volition, not at the behest of Aaron Albrecht."
"Then the plot thickens." Vandrick raised an amused eyebrow.
"No need to stand on ceremony, Lord Vandrick, we've known each other for quite some time, haven't we?"
"I suppose," Vandrick drawled. "When was the last time we saw each other? One of World Champion Leon's get-togethers?"
"Get-togethers you started to attend less and less in recent years, I noticed."
"What can I say? I'm a busy man."
"Busy building an army for a three thousand year old sovereign whose domain doesn't even exist anymore? I'm honestly surprised a man like you was able to find the time to amass and train so many of the League's failures."
"Oh, dear, I've been found out. I thought I'd covered my tracks fairly well. Well, to be fair, that wasn't all I was doing. I was also locating and consolidating the former wealth of his Grace's late empire, and it was far more imperative that those activities remained untraceable. But I suppose the International Police is more competent than I gave them credit for." He glanced over at Cynthia to gauge her reaction, but the Champion smirked.
"You really don't know why I'm here, do you? Well, that's good. At the very least, it seems I've been playing my cards right. For the most part."
"Cards, hm? Is that what you call the girl just now, and the others before her?" Vandrick scratched his head. "You are right that I don't know what your game is, but even if you somehow manage to best me, your chances of victory are still zero percent. The power of his Grace cannot be stopped, or even comprehended, by the likes of you. Not even Sir Aaron could stop him now."
Sir Aaron… So it's true…he was a king of the Guardians, Cynthia thought. Surely, together, he and Ash should be able to… No, I'd rather assume the worst and prepare accordingly. "It's a shame I never dug into your background a little more," Cynthia said, earmarking her thoughts for later. "Maybe I could've uncovered your little conspiracy."
"It wouldn't have made a difference. You could never defeat me in Kalos, and you won't defeat me here."
"We'll see about that."
"You think a peasant from a backwater in Sinnoh could ever hope to threaten me?" he said, withdrawing two pokéballs from his belt. "I was raised from birth to destroy all of my king's enemies."
He hurled his pokéballs to the ground, and they spun, before snapping open and expelling their contents. Two Diancie materialized over the grass, one, its crystals a shining amethyst, and the other, a cool turquoise. They smiled mischievously upon seeing Cresselia and Darkrai.
"You tried to harm one of my precious subordinates," Cynthia said. "And that will not be forgiven. Shadow Moon, Cresselia. Darkrai, Dark Void."
Vandrick relayed a string of orders, and a storm of multicolored diamonds clashed against waves of dark and psychic energy, the clearing once again became engulfed in the fury of battle.
Towering above them all, the Tree of Beginning groaned silently. With the war reaching a fevered frenzy, the legions within were starting to take action. Throughout the veins and caverns within the Tree, its many pokémon inhabitants began to receive a single directive, and they acted on it immediately, compelled by pure instinct.
Flee.
Land of Rota - Cameran Palace
The well-furnished hospital wing of Cameran Palace was a veritable sanctum of health, offering the most advanced of medicines, and manned by the most skilled doctors and nurses. On top of their peerless infrastructure, they also employed ancient and powerful techniques known and practiced only by Guardians of Rota, for they made use of Aura in their treatments. A slice of this royal institution existed in only one other place in the entire world: Albrecht Manor, and it was thanks to the perfect union of manmade prowess and the power of pokémon which had allowed Anabel Lila to heal her severed arm in a fraction of the normal time.
Unfortunately, Rota was a land of peace. As such, the hospital wing was quite small, built mainly to treat Guardians who hurt themselves during the course of their training, especially those who ventured into the great Tree of Beginning.
In other words, it was wholly unequipped to handle a constant stream of patients with various levels of injury caused by a war within Rota's own borders.
The throne room of Cameran Palace burned bright with the shouts and screams of men and pokémon alike, orders and directives firing across the room in unrelenting bombards as the wounds of the injured were treated with the power of raw Aura. A Guardian limped across the stony floor, nearly tripping on the dirt-stained, once-grandiose carpet atop it, but the ones helping him hauled him up and continued forward as he whimpered in pain. A throng of nurses huddled over a group of wounded Guardians, wrapping bandages around their injuries and calling for this medicine or that salve. A middle-aged Guardian cried out as her master tied a tourniquet around her broken leg. The stench of blood and battle filled the air, and their pokémon scratched at themselves restlessly, with concern for their partners, and in pain.
A bath of blinding Aura shimmered over the bloodied face of a young Guardian no older than twelve. The gash on his face, crusted black, tightened together, until little more than an angry scratch remained. His eyes were watery, but his tears didn't fall, and he smiled weakly. "Thank you so much, Queen Ilene."
The Queen of the Guardians knelt over him, and as the Aura below her hands faded, she crossed them back in her lap. "Thank you, young Liam. But how many times have I told you just to call me Ilene?"
"Sorry."
Ilene smiled. "Get some rest now. I hope you'll forgive me for leaving you so quickly, but I must attend to the others."
Liam gave a thumbs up as Ilene stood, and she brushed her legs off, before scanning the room to see who else needed her help.
"Any word from King Aaron yet, my Queen?" Sir Magnus asked, stepping back next to her. Unlike the other Guardians, he wore a dark set of shiny mail, and the cape that tumbled down his back was white instead of blue. His armored hand gripped the pommel of his sword impatiently.
"No," Ilene responded, moving to another downed Guardian. The nurse treating him bowed and thanked Ilene as she lowered herself once more. The light of her Aura shone on her face as she spoke. "Even when he does return, he will be engaging AZ. He won't have the time to spare any attention to the rest of the war. And the current state of things is a result of AZ's army, not even the man himself, if our reports are to be believed."
"So he really does have more firepower than us, huh?" Magnus said gruffly. "If this continues, there may not be a Rota left to save even if King Aaron does manage to defeat AZ."
"Please don't speak like that, Captain. You're forgetting one important thing." She gently let go of the Guardian's hand that she'd just treated, turned to face Magnus. "Ash and his friends."
"You really think they alone can swing things back in our favor?"
Ilene giggled softly. "You forget Ash was the World Champion at one time. And you've seen the Aura of the others. They burn as bright as the most powerful of our Guardians."
Magnus nodded, but trepidation still etched their lines on his grizzled face. "As you say, my Queen."
Ilene's brows were furrowed, and she hesitated on moving to help another Guardian. Instead, her eyes simply washed over the terrible scene around them. "But, this number of casualties is too much," she admitted quietly, before moving toward the door.
Magnus briskly caught up to her, surprised that she was actually leaving.
"I've done all I can here. King Aaron's decree was absolute that you not leave my side, but you must return to the entrance hall and coordinate with the royal guard. If the worst should happen, then we must be ready to evacuate Cameran Palace…no, all of Rota. And since I have no intention of making you disobey our King, I'll return with you."
"Are you sure?" Magnus asked, stepping back to her side. "If Rota falls, where would we go? Where could we go?"
"A worry for another day. For now, we must devote our full focus to repelling this evil.
A few minutes later, they crossed the threshold into the cavernous entrance hall of Cameran Palace. Unlike before, the chamber was now empty, save for a pair of royal guards flanking the massive doors.
"My Queen, Captain Magnus," one of the guards addressed, joining their liege and her knight in the center of the room. "We have a new report from our scouts. The parties on either side of the battle in front of the Tree of Beginning are none other than Ash Ketchum's friend, the wounded Anabel, and Lord Brian Vandrick from the Kalos Region."
"Lord Brian Vandrick?" Ilene said. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the name."
"That's no surprise, given how we stay out of international affairs. But after a bit of digging, we learned that he's a high profile investor in Kalos and beyond. He owns a significant stake in many of the world's largest companies, and he's also a board member of multiple banks. He's listed in many business magazines and publications as one of the most influential men in the world."
"What in the world is someone like that doing here?" Magnus asked. "Personally taking to the battlefield, no less."
"Still unclear, but his loyalties certainly lie with AZ. It seems he was trying to breach the Tree of Beginning and gain access to King Aaron's body!"
Magnus sneered and his fist clenched around his sword. "How dare he."
"And what of Anabel?" Ilene asked. "Surely she's in no condition to battle."
Magnus buried his head in his hand. "Shit. I went and sent Riley to Albrecht Manor," he cursed. "Who can we spare to send to Anabel's aid? Of course I'm worried about the girl herself, but if this Vandrick intends to defile King Aaron's body in any way, then that is all the more reason that we must send a force to the Tree!"
"Not to worry Captain Magnus, help has already arrived."
The towering doors of Cameran Palace creaked open slowly, allowing a strip of light to slide across the shadowed floor. The blackened silhouette of a man three meters tall stood before the break, his arms still outstretched in front of him from pushing them open. As the doors opened further, sunlight spilled across his form, revealing a velvet cloak spilling over his mountainous shoulders, and a jeweled crown circling his head of long, braided white hair.
Ilene and Magnus' eyes both widened.
"You bastard!" the royal guards roared. Aura blazed to life on their arms, and they charged him.
"Wait!" Ilene shouted.
AZ grinned and flicked his wrists. Before they could even touch him, light flashed through the hall, and both guards flew backward, shattering through the stained glass windows at the opposite end of the room.
AZ breathed in through his nose slowly, then took a step inside the Palace. "Ah," he rumbled. "After three thousand years, I have finally returned to this place."
"AZ," Magnus spat, placing himself protectively between the giant and Queen Ilene. How is he here?! I never even sensed him! And I doubt the Queen did either! What happened to Ash?!
"As I said, you needn't worry about young Anabel. Cynthia Shirona has returned and has already engaged Lord Vandrick. Anabel is on her way here at Cynthia's behest, but I'm afraid Sir Riley is still heading to the World Champion's residence."
Magnus glared at the ancient king. How does he know all that?
"The Platebearer is on his way. He has grown strong in the past month, but my pokémon held him up long enough that I could make my way here unimpeded." As he took a step forward, Magnus and Ilene both took a step back. It was only then that he seemed to notice the Queen. "You must be Queen Ilene," he said softly. "I must say I'm a bit speechless at your appearance. You are the spitting image of your ancestor, Queen Rin."
"Do not sully her name with your foul mouth, monster," Ilene said sternly.
"I must say, her tongue was far smoother than yours," AZ shrugged. "No matter. I'll be sending you both to see her soon enough. But first…" The amusement vanished from his face and he glared down at the both of them. "Where is Aaron?" he growled.
"Gone from this place. Where you could never reach him," Ilene responded, her voice unwavering.
"What a disloyal lie, your Majesty. Aaron would never abandon this place. But pitiful attempts to protect him aside, deception won't work. I know he's here, but for some reason, I cannot pinpoint exactly where." He raised his head and glanced around the hall. "Shall I begin with the injured, then?"
"Get down, my Queen! Magnus roared, hurling a pokéball forward. It burst open, and an imposing, scarred Lucario emptied out, landing deftly on its knee, with its arms splayed out. "Jackaline Avatar!"
A nova of Aura burst up around Lucario, and AZ only had time to frown before he was buried beneath an avalanche of azure energy. The ground ruptured as a giant fist of Aura smashed down on where AZ had been standing, splinters of wood and pellets of shattered stone flying in all directions. Magnus stood resolute against the gales of wind, his cape billowing behind him. Blue light shined on his face, as the avatar shifted its weight, pressing down even harder on top of AZ. It howled, the sound reverberating throughout the chamber.
"Quiet, mutt."
The avatar flinched. Then, astoundingly, its arm began to rise. As the dust cleared, AZ came back into view, but he hadn't been pulverized at all. He held his arm above his head, and he trembled as he bore the full impact of Lucario's fist on his body. He pushed its fist up slowly, exerting himself against its tremendous weight.
"I'm here for Aaron. The rest of you brats don't matter at all!" he bellowed, flinging Lucario's fist aside. Before it could react, he jumped up and sunk his arm into the avatar's chest. With a herculean pull, he yanked Lucario's body straight out of the avatar in a blinding burst, gripping the jackal by its throat. As the avatar flickered in front of him, he spun in the air and launched Lucario back out the front doors.
"Captain Magnus!" Ilene yelled in warning, standing a distance away from the combatants.
But the grizzled captain was speechless at the violent display of AZ's power, and he barely had time to conjure a thin shield of Aura around himself before AZ lunged through the dissipating mass of Aura that comprised Lucario's avatar with a snarl, and grabbed him. Gripping a part of his armor that jutted out, AZ flung him into the wall with an inhuman roar, and Magnus' body smashed through the wood, staying embedded there. But the captain of the royal guards made no further movements as a trickle of blood dripped from his nostrils.
Ilene watched the scene of carnage play out in horror, but when it was clear her captain would not be getting up, she turned back toward AZ, a bead of sweat on her forehead.
"Now, Queen Ilene, if you please," AZ panted, licking his lips. "Where is Aaron?"
"You should not have set foot here, old king," Ilene said, raising her arms. "It will be the last mistake you ever make!"
A shaft of pure white Aura burst forth from Ilene's outstretched hands and engulfed AZ, completely obscuring him from view.
"Queen's Order!" Ilene said in a shrill voice. Her pupils were the same color as her Aura, shining a brilliant white, and her blonde hair whipped behind her in a grand display of power.
Within the column of Aura, AZ hunkered down, trying to force himself forward. But shockingly, his torso was pushed back by the rushing current, and he grunted in surprise. After several more seconds, he was blown back, but he flipped over and landed back on the ground, still within the attack. But there was nothing to grab onto on the floor, and before long, he was blown back again. His eyes swiveled in their sockets, before finding the front doors, and as he sailed past, one of his arms shot out and grabbed it. The door creaked and whined from strain, flapping wildly despite its size. AZ growled, trying to haul himself back inside, but Queen Ilene was relentless. Her eyes shined even brighter, and with another burst of power, he was thrown from the door, back outside the Palace.
Ilene extinguished her attack and sank to the ground, breathing heavily. The glow faded from her eyes, and sweat matted her skin.
A minute later, AZ paced back up the stairs and reentered Cameran Palace. His crown was gone, but he wore a look of neutral satisfaction on his face. "Most impressive, your Majesty. You certainly live up to your royal station. But I don't know what you hoped to accomplish with that. Surely you know that you could never breach my defenses." He raised his hand, and his whole body seemed to sparkle for a moment, as if his entire body was a mirror.
"I'll repulse you as many times as I must," Ilene breathed. "You will never defeat the Guardians." He raised her arms into a combat stance, and Aura glimmered to life between her fingers.
"A noble proclamation. But one not founded in reality, I'm afraid. I wanted to wait until Aaron arrived so I could tear his world down right in front of him, but if he wants to cower away and hide, then I suppose I'll begin a bit early. Starting with you." His entire body began to flicker and shine, white light dancing off his skin and clothes in spasmodic convulsions, as if they could barely contain themselves within his vessel. "Good bye, Queen Ilene."
A blue comet streaked through the chamber, past Ilene, and slammed into AZ, before continuing on its trajectory straight out the doors of Cameran Palace. The two supernovas crashed through the granite walls of the bridge and shot over the crystalline lake. They smashed into the forest beyond, barreling through countless trees, crushing them into splinters.
Upon reaching a clearing, AZ dislodged himself, hitting the ground and sending a plume of soil rushing past him in a wave as he rolled to a stop. He coughed, then grunted. With a labored breath, he clambered onto his hands and knees, before rising to his full height shakily.
"You wanted me. Here I am."
At the sound of that voice, liquid rage flooded AZ involuntarily, but he tempered his emotions and kept it at bay, albeit barely. Blood seemed to seep into his eyes, tinging his whole field of vision red, and his bones actually hurt from restraining himself.
Standing across the field from him, the Aura fading from around his form, was Sir Aaron, looking none too amused beneath his spiky black hair.
"Finally," AZ sneered. "You show your true face. It's time for you to face justice."
Sir Aaron looked at him sadly, yet anger, and righteousness also colored his face. "Let's end this once and for all, old friend."
Wordlessly, both men withdrew a pokéball.
Next — Chapter 40 : Sir Aaron vs AZ
Oh… did I say 5/26… I meant 5/27… Was a lot busier than I thought I'd be this week. Also, I was straight up procrastinating, but I'd never let a good excuse go to waste so we'll just say it was the former. It's surprisingly difficult to get back in the swing of things after taking almost a week off from writing, something I've haven't done since I first started this fic about eight months ago.
Unfortunately, there also won't be a chapter next weekend since I'll be busy with something else. Next chapter should be published on 6/9 at the latest, though possibly/probably sooner, whenever I finish it.
Finally, I'm going to add a list of all the custom moves in this fic to my profile on FFN and AO3, which I'll update as they appear in the story. Not sure how others feel about custom moves but I really like them so I tend to add a lot of them. And in case you couldn't already tell, I like lists. They're very satisfying.
Yes that's right! His real body is preserved within the Tree but he created another body out of Aura— it's explained in a bit more detail at the end of chapter 32 / Remnants [23]
Remnants of the Great War [31]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [31]
Chapter 40 : Sir Aaron vs AZ
Remnants of the Great War Arc [31]
Chapter 40 : Sir Aaron vs AZ
In spite of the war raging around them, just beyond the dark oaks that surrounded them, Sir Aaron and AZ both stood still, with naught but the wind and rustling leaves as accessories to their showdown. They both held a pokéball in their hand, but neither moved to release their companions. Instead, their eyes remained locked, unblinking, Aaron's blues on AZ's blacks.
"I'm surprised you can restrain yourself. The scene at the World Prison was a painting of rage and blood. Didn't you leave that masterpiece because you were on your way to kill me?" Aaron asked, his face as flat as his gaze. "To tear me apart with those same hands?"
Several seconds passed before AZ responded. "That is what you'd like, isn't it? If I come at you like a beast, I will confirm everything you've thought about me since the start of the war."
"I didn't think you cared about something like that. At the very least, it didn't stop you from enacting this violence today."
A laugh escaped AZ's lips. "Oh, this? This was nothing more than a provocation. Isn't that what you did too?"
Aaron's eye twitched, and his jaw tensed up.
"Nothing to say? So you know you're scum." AZ's face twisted into a malevolent grin. "Surely you were wondering why I waited so long to escape. I bet it's kept you up every night since the end of the war. One hundred years…five hundred years…a thousand years. You must have thought I'd forgotten about you. Perhaps you thought I'd forgiven you, when even after three thousand years, I had yet to resist my incarceration! So you decided to test me." He locked eyes with Aaron again, but the Guardian looked away, and he sneered. "You broke your promise."
Aaron shook his head ever so slightly and exhaled. "It had nothing to do with you," he said quietly. "And I didn't do it for my own sake either."
"You've had three thousand years to think of an excuse, and that's what you give me?" AZ said in disbelief. "You promised you would never show your face again. That you would divest yourself from this world. That you would abandon everything precious to you, just like I had to! But what did you do, hm? What did you do?!" AZ roared, his outburst blowing gales across the clearing.
Aaron didn't reply, but his spiky hair fluttered from AZ's shout.
"World Champion," AZ spat, in a mocking tone. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
AZ's breaths came in incensed heaves, but Aaron remained calm.
"Now that it's come to this, I wish you hadn't," Aaron finally said.
"So that's it, then? I pay for my crimes, but you get to be remembered as the spotless 'hero of Rota?'"
"Since you're standing before me once again, it seems my sins have finally caught up to me," Aaron said, speaking louder. "Out of everything I bear on my shoulders, all the things that I did and didn't do that I regret, my greatest sin will always be you, Azett."
"Damn you," AZ growled, his pokéball creaking in his hand. "I have atoned for three thousand years. It's time for someone else to pay the price!" Without warning, he launched his pokéball forward, and it curved through the air before snapping open.
Aaron took a step back, and then another, as AZ's partner coalesced into the world. The temperature flared, and the trees closest to it immediately caught fire, flames engulfing their leaves completely. The grass at its feet disintegrated, and a shadow fell over the entire clearing. Wild pokémon squawked and fled, taking to the skies and scurrying away as fast as their legs could carry them.
As its massive arms raked the air, Groudon leaned back and unleashed a deafening roar.
A bead of sweat hung above Aaron's brow, and he smiled nervously. "Of course you still have that monster."
He hurled his own pokéball forward, and when it opened, the air suddenly became humid, and heavier. As Groudon sized up its opponent, it snorted hot smoke, and stamped at the ground, causing the whole clearing to shake.
Kyogre floated just above the ground, massive and powerful, like the entire volume of the ocean itself had been compressed into one singular entity. With every breath that escaped its serrated mouth, a plume of mist floated skyward.
The sky above churned and thundered at the arrival of the two titans. The sunlight scorched through rapidly forming storm clouds, but it didn't burn them all away, and a hot rain began to fall over all of Rota, creating even more foggy mist.
Aaron ignored the rain, his focus having never left the former sovereign of the east. Across the way, he saw AZ grin.
"Precipice Blades!" he roared.
"Origin Pulse!" Aaron countered.
The ground ruptured, and jagged pillars of magma-stained rock burst forth, pushing the grass and soil apart with no abandon. They began in front of Groudon and stabbed their way forward, completely destroying everything in their murderous path. Before Kyogre could react, three sharpened spears exploded from beneath it and skewered it from below, two of them stabbing through either wing, and the other burying itself in the oceanic legendary's underbelly.
Kyogre's eyes gleamed with hatred, and it opened its depthless maw. Sparkling energy gathered between its army of teeth, forming into a blinding orb. With a colossal roar, Kyogre fired its attack. The entire clearing turned white, the remnants of Groudon's destruction disintegrating in its wrathful light. The Precipice Blades shattered and crumbled into nothing and slammed into Groudon's chest. The titan braced itself against the onslaught, but it shrieked in pain, hot blood cascading down its mottled chest.
As the light faded, Kyogre wretched itself from the impaling pillars of rock, cerulean blood dumping from the wounds, but it simply snorted in indignation, breaking the spears with a prideful bash of its body. Across the clearing, Groudon looked up at its enemy, then brushed his chest with a clawed hand. It was scorched black, and there was a depression where Kyogre's Origin Pulse had burned its impenetrable flesh away.
Groudon stood on a stone plinth, the ground having completely vanished around it, and an orange glow wafted up from the depths. Kyogre floated above the void, and the rain sizzled as it poured down onto the lava below.
AZ stepped out from behind his monster, his boots cresting just over the edge of the chasm. He crossed his arms. "It seems the passage of time has made us weak!" he called over the cacophony of the newly formed storm. "Those children you sent after me weren't even strong enough to get my blood flowing! Surely you can provide a better challenge!"
Like his pokémon, Sir Aaron floated above the ground beside Kyogre. "You seem to be mistaken. The Platebearer and his friends have nothing to do with me."
Surprisingly, AZ's brow raised, and his eyes flashed. Then, he nodded. "You tell the truth. No matter. I can deal with them and whoever sent them after I destroy Rota."
Aaron's eyes narrowed. "You possess the Fairy Plate, I was told. Is it through its power that you judge the truth of my words?"
AZ smiled and spread his arms. "Indeed! Unlike you, the truth is all I know! The Fairy Plate grants me omniscience over the entire natural world!"
Aaron swallowed. "I see," he said quietly. "So the truths revealed to you by this Plate are the source of your delusions of apocalypse." He glanced up. "How pitiable that a Plate of Arceus would corrupt you so."
"Does it disappoint you to learn that you serve a creature of such depravity?" AZ mocked. "You Guardians defend Arceus' will without ever knowing anything about it. But I do. I touched his soul and saw within. And now, his power is mine!" He clenched his fist closed.
Aaron sighed. "No. This war is not Arceus' will. If it is as you say, and the Fairy Plate allows you to know all the truths of this world, then you should know that I am being honest about bearing the Plates of Arceus once myself. And his will revealed to me at that time is nothing like this bloodshed you so savor."
AZ's eyes flashed once more, and he glowered at Aaron. "You surrendered your Plates…? But to think you would leave them there…" He smirked. "Now you certainly must die today. You and your entire pitiful clan."
"I will do my duty as a Guardian. No more, no less."
AZ's lips curled into a grin. "Try and protect this place if you can, King."
This time, Aaron seized the initiative. "Alpha Sapphire!" he commanded.
"Omega Ruby!" AZ bellowed.
As the two legendary titans charged their next attacks, Aaron and AZ's eyes remained locked through the storm and mist, both shining with a new determination to crush the opponent that stood before them.
Ash suddenly froze in place, sweat flying from his face, and his eyes widened. Pikachu and Annihilape both stopped in their tracks, wheeling around toward their trainer. The wind whistled around them like a pack of bloodthirsty hyenas. Slowly, Ash stood up straighter.
AZ had moved.
He'd made it to the palace. Aegislash and the others had stalled Ash just long enough to allow him time to slip past. But after remaining there for only several minutes, he'd suddenly flown back the way he came, back into the forest, away from Sir Aaron.
The dark leaves beckoned him toward the gloomy beyond with their curled, chlorophyllic fingers.
"He's there," Ash muttered. "Right there." He raised his arm and pointed directly past the bunch of trees before them.
Annihilape snarled, beginning to stomp over in AZ's direction. Pikachu whined cautiously, glancing between his two friends.
"Wait," Ash said.
If AZ was back here, it surely wasn't of his own volition. Which meant Aaron Albrecht had finally taken to the field.
If that's the case, do I even need to get involved? I mean, this is Sir Aaron we're talking about…
By all rights, he had failed in his task of keeping AZ away whilst Sir Aaron was in the Vault of Secrets. But it was almost as if AZ had gone out of his way to avoid him, taking a longer route to Cameran Palace that would allow him to bypass any fighting. If AZ could sense his presence as a Platebearer, like Ash could for him, then it was possible. But…
When I first encountered AZ outside of Rota, he somehow knew he was being followed, but he didn't know I was a Platebearer until I stepped out in front of him… Can he sense my presence or not?
"Gah!" Ash shook and head and hit his temple with the heel of his palm. What did it matter now? Right now, he needed to figure out where he was needed most, and fast. Unlike the others, he'd literally gotten lost in the weeds, finding himself separated from any divisions of AZ's main attacking force. And although AZ had only spent mere minutes at the Palace, there was no telling how much damage he may have already done.
Ash closed his eyes. Use Sabrina to communicate with each other, he'd said.
Sabrina! he shouted in his head.
Not a moment later, the quiet psychic teleported next to him. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked out of breath.
"Sabrina!" he said breathlessly, surprised that that'd actually worked. "Are you alright?"
Sabrina sucked in several breaths. "It's not good. AZ's army has almost made it to the palace. They're fighting through the last line of defense, the Guardians in front of the bridge. You should go there as quickly as possible— actually I can take you there." Her words came out in a jumbled mess, tripping over themselves as they spilled from her mouth. "We need to move quickly. The Guardians are still evacuating civilians from the town. And there're so many injured. They need—"
"Slow down, Sabrina," Ash said, putting a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. "Take a deep breath. You've been using your power nonstop, haven't you?"
Sabrina nodded unconsciously. "I have to. If I don't, then—"
"One thing at a time," Ash interrupted. "Did you disable the portal that AZ's men were coming through?"
Sabrina paused for a few seconds, then nodded. "It was Alakazam."
"Okay, great. Did you get a call from Sylvester?"
Sabrina shook her head, then she perked up. "Cynthia's here! She spoke to me. She told me she'd protect Anabel, and to hurry back to the palace. But Riley needs to know, so I had to—"
Ash frowned. "Isn't Anabel at the manor?"
"She was at the Tree of Beginning!" Sabrina wailed. The dam holding back her emotions was beginning to crack. "She…she was fighting someone. And her wound reopened, so I couldn't teleport her to safety without hurting her. So Lucario is carrying her back—"
"Sabrina," Ash said, clutching her shoulders gently. He looked at her until she met his gaze. Tears hung unfallen in her eyes, and she blinked them away. "You've done wonderfully. Really."
Sabrina's lips quivered and her nose twitched. With his hands still on her shoulders, Ash could feel her body loosen up slightly, and she slumped as she exhaled. She nodded absentmindedly.
"Were you able to tell Riley that Anabel is being taken care of?"
Sabrina nodded.
"So he's on his way back to the Palace too?"
Sabrina nodded.
"Okay," Ash breathed. "That's good. That's good. And it's all thanks to you."
Sabrina nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve. Then she frowned, hardening herself.
"Just over there," Ash pointed, "is AZ."
Sabrina followed his finger, and her eyes glimmered. "Albrecht is there too."
Suddenly, a deafening roar blasted through the forest, nearly knocking them both off their feet. Annihilape snorted in shock, and Pikachu grit his teeth. The earth shook as something massive crashed down upon it.
At the same time, Ash winced as the temperature noticeably increased. He squinted up at the bright sky, and the rapidly fading clouds upon it. However, raising his head up brought the creature responsible directly into his line of sight, as it towered above the treeline.
"Holy," Ash breathed. He flicked his head in its direction, the same direction where AZ was. "It's Groudon."
But before Sabrina could find the great red beast, the temperature spasmed again, plummeting, and clouds once again rolled across the sky at an otherworldly speed, though these were dark. Lightning cracked down from above and rain began to fall, dripping through the roof of leaves overhead.
Pikachu squealed in alarm, jumping away from a draft of white mist that had begun snaking out from between the trees.
Beside Ash, Sabrina coughed, and she covered her mouth. "What is this?" she choked. "It's hot!"
Ash opened his palm. "So is the rain." He closed his fist and looked back in the direction of Groudon and AZ. "So this is a battle between legends." He turned back to Sabrina and his pokémon. "Let's go to the palace. There's nothing we can do here, not like this. And I'm afraid Sir Aaron and AZ's battle may extend back there if things get out of hand. Rota needs another line of defense. Let's go give them one."
Sabrina nodded, and his pokémon agreed.
"I can take us," Sabrina said.
"Not a chance," Ash said. "You've done plenty already. The palace is just beyond these trees. We'll be there in two minutes. Annihilape, carry her."
Sabrina opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Annihilape had already slung her over his shoulder with a brusque grin.
"Be gentle!" Ash scolded. "Alright, let's go."
As he ran, Ash glanced back at Sabrina. Truthfully, he was pretty sure she could've teleported them there. She didn't seem like she was at her limit, not even close. But something had happened to her that had reduced her to this stuttering mess. Finding out Anabel had been in danger would've upset her, but not like this. After all, she'd been with Anabel the entire time this past month, and she'd slowly grown accustomed to her friend's new reality. There was something she hadn't told him. Whatever she'd encountered after they'd parted must have done a number on her mentally. Ash felt bad for even thinking it, but he almost wished she'd been taxed physically instead. He still didn't know much about her past, or about her in general, but the one thing he did know was that it was extremely painful for her. There were few things that could shake Sabrina Natsume, and beyond seeing her friends hurt, her past was certainly one of them.
Ash resolved to ask her about it once and for all once this war was over.
Groudon slashed downward, raking its claws over Kyogre, and the oceanic mythic bellowed. A shaft of lightning twisted off of Groudon's head, blasting his scales apart and leaving a scorch mark. Kyogre leapt into the air, casting a shadow over the forest around it, and unleashed a steaming column of water. It splashed over the earth mythic, and doused the entire clearing, and beneath the deluge, Groudon sank to its knees with a thunderous crash.
Aaron watched the carnage play out with narrowed eyes. They had mutilated the entire clearing. Countless trees had fallen under their legendary feet, reduced to nothing more than piles of ash. The sinkhole created by Groudon had been filled in with freshly cooled slate and obsidian, that had then been cracked and decimated further by the ongoing battle. Black soot covered the abused ground, leaving not a speck of color, and the haze of white mist had risen, leaving the entire clearing slightly obscured in a mirage that further accentuated the spectacle of this legendary battle.
The rain was as blinding as it was unceasing as it pounded down, and the low growl of thunder had yet to abate from the tortured sky. The air stunk of hot smoke, and if a normal human had come near, their nose would probably start bleeding immediately.
As Kyogre glided over Groudon's head, the red titan hand shot out and grabbed its fin. With a herculean roar, it slammed Kyogre against the ground. As it stomped over, it leaned down and sunk its claws into the ground, before withdrawing with a spear of jagged obsidian. It clutched the spear in both hands, raising it above Kyogre's head.
The runes on Kyogre's body illuminated, and its eyes glittered with fury. As Groudon brought the spear down on its chest, Kyogre's gullet flashed, and a spear of ice pierced Groudon's midsection, its eyes widening. At the same time, the spear of obsidian plunged through Kyogre, and it released a pained screech. The lights in both of their eyes flickered. Groudon pitched backward, before slamming down to the ground. Likewise, a terrible wheeze escaped Kyogre's mouth, and it collapsed, its wings splaying out across the ground. Even after a few seconds, neither moved again.
AZ was the first to recall his companion. As his pokéball sucked Groudon back inside, Aaron assessed the man himself. He stood confidently across the clearing, having moved not even a single inch from where he was when their battle resumed. Aaron's brows furrowed, and he returned his own partner, thanking it silently.
"That was closer to the battles I remember," AZ said, pleased. "You did well protecting this place as much as you did. Such a shame, though. Surely you'd be even stronger if you didn't have to worry about keeping the damage to a minimum. That is no way to wage war."
"By your design," Aaron lamented.
AZ smirked. "This battle is the least of your problems. Very soon, you'll count yourself lucky that I am the only one you have to deal with." He reached into his coat. "It was wishful thinking on your part to think you could actually contain me." He pulled his hand out, holding something between his fingers.
Aaron frowned.
Only when AZ enlarged his pokéball did it become clear what he was planning. But before Aaron could stop him, he reared back and threw the pokéball with a strained grunt, over the trees and into the darkness beyond.
Straight toward Cameran Palace.
Next — Chapter 41 : Fated Failure
Haha true. In my head, there can be multiple copies of each legendary, like with Lugia in that one anime episode, but the legends and myths are mainly about the prime variants of each legendary. And since this Kyogre and Groudon aren't the prime variants, the prime Rayquaza has no interest lol
Remnants of the Great War [32]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [32]
Chapter 41 : Fated Failure
Remnants of the Great War Arc [32]
Chapter 41 : Fated Failure
Land of Rota - South of Cameran Palace
"Get back, Sarah!"
A burly Guardian wrapped in a tight-fitting indigo tunic and bandages lunged forward, Aura blazing in his palm, which he thrust into the face of an approaching acolyte. The acolyte yelped and recoiled, but the Guardian didn't stop to admire his handiwork. His cloak swished behind him as he wheeled back on his young compatriot. "You're supposed to be assisting with the injured! What're you doing here?"
"The Queen is evacuating the Palace!" Sarah bit out, her Lucario standing beside her protectively.
Rain fell in sheets from the darkened sky, a cloying mist bathing all the combatants in its humid oppression. Despite being right next to each other, the two Guardians could scarcely hear each other over the din of the war and the storm.
"What?! Why? We haven't fallen yet!"
His Machamp caught up a Golem barreling toward them in its arms with a grunt, and its feet sunk into the ground as it held the massive boulder back. Its master took a quick glance at the situation, but turned back to Sarah.
"AZ made it to the palace, but King Aaron stopped him and has engaged him to the east!"
"Then the battle is as good as won!" the Guardian growled.
"No, it's the opposite! It means he won't be able to help us repel their army!"
The older Guardian stopped to think for a moment, frowning. He glanced back up at the quarrel between Machamp and Golem, and the Aura on his hand flared. An azure shroud fell over Machamp, and it began to push the fearsome rock-type back.
The Guardian surveyed the chaos around them. AZ's men outnumbered them two to one right now, but more kept pouring from the forest and soon it would be three to one. Slowly but surely, they were being pushed back onto the bridge connecting Cameran Palace to the mainland.
Suddenly, electricity crackled to life around the Golem's fists, and it shoved Machamp back with a baleful screech. The fighting-type buckled as the rock-type slammed its Thunder Punch into its chin, sending it flying across the grass. Poised to deliver another blow, the Golem hunkered down and charged.
Sarah's Lucario leapt forward and kicked the rock-type back, wincing slightly as Golem tried to claw at her foot. It flew back, and though its trainer tried to dodge, its rotund body clipped him, sending him flying to the ground in an awkward heap.
"Thanks," the Guardian grunted. "Alright, I gotcha. I'll tell the others. Just promise me you'll stick more to the evacuation than the fighting! Your mother…no, Sir Riley will kill me if anything happens to you!"
Sarah bowed curtly. "I'll try! Thank you, Master!" she called, zipping back toward the bridge to assist with the injured. Cameran Palace's twin bridges were an invaluable defensive feature, but it also increased the difficulty of the evacuation tenfold. There were only two ways in and out of the palace. They were sending as many as they could out of the northern entrance, but that meant having to circle back south around the perimeter of the lake to get to the evacuation point in the west. It'd be much faster if they could secure a route out of this entrance too…
Her master was a strong Guardian, but even he had sustained injuries against this force, though, refusing to stay down, he'd taken back to the battlefield.
Your boyfriend is taking on that Dragalge all by himself! Like hell I'm gonna stay here just to bleed! he'd said.
He wasn't her boyfriend, but if Sir Riley had decided to embrace an enemy like that all by himself, then it was something her master and the others stood absolutely no chance against.
Please be safe, Riley, she prayed as she ran back toward the bridge, her Lucario in tow.
As she cleared through the last line of Guardians and emerged onto the cobblestone viaduct, her Aura-enhanced eyes caught something in the far distance. In front of the thunder-laced storm clouds and through the pelting rain, a tiny object sailed out from above the trees to the right of the palace. At first she thought it was a pokémon, but it was clearly inanimate as it arced downward and disappeared into the lake below.
What was that?
She was halfway across the bridge when the water beside the palace suddenly gurgled and belched.
That's where that thing dropped…
An icy chill ran through Sarah and she shuddered. Maybe it was just the battle raging around her keeping her on edge, but a terrible feeling suddenly flooded her stomach.
A massive white and black column burst from the surface of the lake, three smaller columns extending from a yellow rim around the very top. It stretched nearly as high as the palace's highest tower.
Sarah's jaw dropped.
The lake trembled, spitting foam, as the column bent back to land, slamming down on the edge of the island, crushing a copse of golden maples beneath it in an instant. An otherworldly groan echoed through the valley as the rest of the creature's body rose from the lake. Its other hand gripped a tower on the palace as it hauled itself out of the water. Red, blue, and silver light cascaded from the six eyes on its chest, slicing through the stormy darkness, scanning the palace with its invasive sight.
"Regi…gigas," Sarah mumbled, to the sound of terrified screaming behind her. "…How?" A tear fell from her eye, but it instantly washed away by the rain. A traumatized chuckle escaped her horrified lips. "This is the end of Rota."
Regigigas bellowed its cries to the heavens as it climbed. It was the same size as the entirety of Cameran Palace, far larger than the venerated automaton at the Snowpoint Temple in Sinnoh.
Now that she thought about it, the old kings of Kalos had been said to have vaults upon vaults of pokémon, including those of mythological power and scale. Such was the vastness of their wealth and influence before the Great War. But those stories had always been exaggerations, right? Something like this, right before her, couldn't possibly be real. Right?!
Snapped from her stupor by her own disbelief, she smacked her cheeks, and started to run again, toward the giant. Cameran Palace had protections imbued in its foundations, so Sarah hoped that there wasn't too much internal damage. But this thing was just so big, and it had already defied logic once just by being this size. Either way, Queen Ilene was right to have issued the evacuation order. She must have sensed something dangerous approaching. Or perhaps she was one of the few left in Rota with a sober head, and had assessed that the Guardians were going to lose.
As Sarah crossed onto the island, she shuddered as she ran into Regigigas' shadow, the behemoth towering over her. She wanted nothing more to do now than to run and hide under her covers like she'd done when she was a kid, but the Queen needed her. Her people needed her.
Please, save us, Riley, she thought as she ran, but it was a childish wish. This was war, and Riley wasn't even close. Perhaps the Guardians had grown too used to peace. In their quest for harmony, they'd unwittingly forgotten about their blood-drenched legacy accrued during the Great War.
As she ascended the marble steps, she took note of the massive oaken doors, blasted open by some overwhelming force, and her heartbeat quickened. What happened here?!
A throng of Guardians were gathered in the entrance hall, with some injured, and others helping the injured evacuate. But they had all paused in place to look up. The lights flickered overhead, and Regigigas' massive body blotted out any light from the windows on one side.
"What is that?" one of them murmured.
"Why is it so dark outside all of a sudden?" another asked.
"It started raining out of nowhere!"
Sarah cleared her throat and inhaled. "Everyone, please listen!" Luckily, her shrill voice cut through the fog of everyone's worry, and she quickly got everyone's attention. "We need to evacuate the palace as fast as possible! Everyone who is able, please head to the northern entrance as soon as possible, and follow the border Guardians to the safe point!"
"But what about the southern way?" a younger Guardian asked. "Don't tell me…are they coming across the bridge already!"
"Don't be silly," his master snapped, yanking his ear. "Of course that's not the case," though he did sneak Sarah an inquisitive glance, which she answered with a discreet shake of her head.
"Please, hurry to the north," Sarah pleaded, cutting in before they could interject again. "We haven't fallen, but the fighting is still ongoing, so this exit isn't safe yet!"
The Guardians murmured in worry, but they trusted her, and started to exit the room. Sarah watched as they helped each other out, but her attention never left the behemoth climbing up the palace outside. Luckily, most of the gathered had forgotten about the monster outside once Sarah had given them something else to focus on, but she noticed the young Guardian's master had stayed behind.
"Tell it to me true, Sarah," he said grimly. "What is that thing atop the palace now? Surely that is the true reason you won't let us leave from the south."
Sarah hesitated, but nodded. "That's right. It's a giant Regigigas out there, as big as the palace itself."
The Guardian cursed. "This will be the end of Cameran Palace."
Sarah furrowed her brows and looked up. "Where's the Queen?"
The older Guardian frowned. "Did you not hear? The Queen and Captain Magnus engaged AZ personally." He flicked his head at the ruined door. "The worst surely would have happened if King Aaron had not arrived in time. Last I heard, the Queen was tending to Captain Magnus' wounds personally."
"What?! She needs to leave!"
The Guardian closed his eyes. "We've tried to impress that upon her, but she refuses to leave while even a single Guardian still remains in the palace!" He clenched his fist, and it was clear he was just as frustrated as she was.
Sarah cursed in her head, her mind racing. She knew how stubborn the Queen could be when she wanted to be, so there was no point in continuing to try and convince her. "How many are still here?"
"When I was last in the throne room, the floor was still half covered in wounded. That was around twenty minutes ago. I suspect less than ten percent now? Though perhaps that is an optimistic guess."
So it's not empty yet…which means we need time. She glanced back over at a window, covered by Regigigas. The palace shook and dust fell from the ceiling as it took another step up, and she prayed the others wouldn't stop to let their curiosity run wild.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of fighting that thing."
"I'm not," Sarah said, and she was being honest. She knew there was no way she could take it down, or even harass it, for that matter. But there may be someone who can. Ash Ketchum, the former World Champion was here, as was his friend Sabrina, a legendary psychic. If anyone could defeat that titan, it'd be them. "Please evacuate now, Sir!" she said, withdrawing a pokéball.
"Wait, where are you going?!"
Sarah thumbed the release on her pokéball, and a brilliant Pidgeot materialized onto the royal floor, her plume fluttering from in the wind passing through the doors. "Pursuing hope," she said, climbing onto her bird's back.
With a clap to the neck, Pidgeot rocketed out of the palace, back outside beneath the stormy skies. Warm rain blurred her vision, and she rubbed her eyes furiously. Pidgeot angled around, giving Sarah a vantage to observe the Regigigas. It was halfway up one of the towers, and despite the fact that the giant dwarfed it, it did not collapse beneath its weight. Surely this had to be one of AZ's personal pokémon, old and powerful as it was. Likely, it was meant as a distraction just as much as a genuine destructive force. The number of Guardians remaining in the palace hardly necessitated the use of such a monstrosity, but AZ's hatred for Sir Aaron and the Guardians was also incalculable. Even if it didn't end up killing a soul, bringing down Cameran Palace, which had stood as a sanctuary for the Guardians for many years even before the Great War, represented a symbolic victory in and of itself.
Sarah urged Pidgeot back down toward the southern defense line. King Aaron had begun his fight with AZ, which meant Ash was presumably free to return to the palace. And their defense hadn't broken yet, which meant Sabrina had likely destroyed the portal as well. Sarah just hoped she'd be able to find them in this mess.
A colossal flap of Pidgeot's wings knocked over a group of AZ's men and their pokémon as she landed, and Sarah fired a few quick Aura Spheres herself to keep them down for good.
Now, where could you be?
Luckily, she didn't have to wonder for long. She caught notice of a particularly violent part of the clash, and after heading over, she found an Annihilape kicking his way through AZ's fighters from behind, carrying Sabrina in its arms bridal style. The sight was absolutely ridiculous, and it was the best thing Sarah could've asked for.
"Sabrina!" she called, pushing her way through the chaos, Pidgeot stomping after her.
The psychic noticed her, and forced herself out of Annihilape's arms, covering her face in embarrassment.
"Sabrina!" Sarah said once she'd caught up to them. "Thank Arceus you're here." She frowned and glanced around. "Is Ash with you?"
"Yeah," Sabrina said, turning around. "He's right behind…" She trailed off. Suddenly, her eyes seared and she whipped toward the east. "No! He's—"
He's gone off to fight AZ, I'm sorry to say, a telepathic voice cut through the din.
A foul Slurpuff was launched back, and a Lucario pushed his way into the conversation. Hello, I am Lucario. Ash Ketchum's Lucario, that is. I understand there are many here, but—
"He's the one who said we should come here!" Sabrina shouted. "So why is he—"
I'm sorry, Miss Sabrina. He said that only to assuage you. He released me and told me to guide you back to the palace. He trusted you alone would be enough to handle things here.
Annihilape roared and snorted, stomping the ground furiously as steam shot from his nostrils. He glared at Lucario, then at the forest to the east, then back at Lucario.
Yes, he told me to pass along a sorry to you too, Annihilape, for leaving you behind. He also wanted to extend a thank you to you for getting Sabrina here safely, and focusing so much on the task that you didn't even notice him separating from you.
That only seemed to enrage Annihilape further, and for a moment, it looked like he was about to charge off after his trainer.
"Please, Sabrina!" Sarah clapped her hands together and bowed. "Please help us defeat Regigigas!"
For the first time, Sabrina seemed to notice the giant golem, ascending the palace walls through the pouring rain. She swallowed, and her eyes gleamed, seemingly studying the creature from afar. Sarah watched her expectantly, and when Sabrina glanced over at her, she bowed her head again.
"Yeah, I can take care of it," Sabrina said flatly.
Land of Rota - Southeast of Cameran Palace
Steam billowed from Mega Lucario's outstretched Force Palm.
Teetering on its frost-blue feet, Aurorus tipped back and fell to the ground, shaking the earth with its tremendous weight.
Now that his enemy was defeated, Lucario swung his arm around, shattering the ice that had frozen on his shoulder. Normally, he was immune to trivialities like this, especially in this state. But this was no ordinary Aurorus.
AZ recalled his pokémon, though he wore a satisfied smile. "Ah, that's my last pokémon. How unfortunate."
Sir Aaron took a step forward, the obsidian crumbling beneath his boot. "Enough of this! Call off your forces and stop this madness!" he pleaded. "If it's me you want, then I'll gladly go with you! But leave the Guardians out of this."
"How can I? You were supposed to have abandoned them, yet you wear their colors all the same," AZ snarled. "No matter. We've done things your way up till now. Now, it's time to do this my way." He stepped forward and shrugged out of his silken shirt. The muscles on his chest throbbed, rain dripping down his tightened skin. Lightning flashed above, illuminating his battle-lusted visage for a moment, twisted in hatred and pleasure. He raised his hands, then beckoned with his fingers.
Sir Aaron shook his head slowly. "Please, don't." Lucario growled, standing between AZ and his master.
"Impotent," AZ spat. "If you will not fight, then you leave me no choice but to attack first!" With an expression of gleeful mania, he launched forward with a leap, his arms trailing behind him.
"Step aside, Lucario," Aaron commanded, his voice echoing. Aura bled into his eyes and across his arms, and his entire body seemed to shimmer, excising itself from the stormy reality around it. His entire form became limned in a vibrant blue.
AZ planted his feet in the ground and his arm shot out, but a blinding flash erupted out from the point of impact. When it faded, he frowned. Aaron's arm, pulsing with Aura, had blocked his strike. As Aaron's leg swept out, AZ leaped back and conjured a roiling sphere of pure white energy in his palm, nearly half the size of his body. At the same time, Aaron summoned an Aura Sphere of a similar size, and a moment later, they both thrust them forward.
The twin spheres slammed into each other with a violent shriek, and sparks flew as they battled for dominance. Stray shocks of energy blasted the ground apart, crackling and barking their errant power across the clearing in indiscriminate bolts. However, eventually, they both collapsed at the same time, exploding in a searing wave of heat and blasting glittering smoke outward.
As the smoke faded, Aaron frowned. AZ was gone. Not a moment later, his body jerked as he was tackled from the side. They rolled over the ruined ground, but AZ ended up on top, clutching Aaron's neck in his massive hands. His eyes burned with rage as he tightened his grip.
Lucario roared, but his voice was swiftly cut off as AZ choked Aaron out even further. He gasped and fell to the ground, grabbing at the phantom hands around his iron neck. Mega Evolution had led to a swift victory against AZ's Aurorus, but now it was a liability, as AZ did the unthinkable: besting his fabled master.
Aaron grunted beneath the giant, his face contorted. AZ pressed his hands into the ground, burying Aaron's neck, and Lucario twisted in agony behind them.
A long knife of Aura blazed to life between the two men, and Aaron swiped it across AZ's bare chest. He finally released his grip and stumbled back. Aaron rubbed his neck as he rose, but seeing as his body was made purely of Aura, it's not like he needed to breathe. Lucario, on the other hand, coughed and wheezed, sucking in air greedily as he rubbed his abused throat. However, Aaron's body flickered ever so slightly as he sent a pulse of stabilizing Aura throughout himself. AZ had just come dangerously close to destroying this vessel.
AZ touched his chest, then rubbed his fingers together. The rain quickly washed it away, but even in the darkness, the red was unmistakable. "Impressive," he intoned. "So you can harm me even without a Plate. As expected of Rota's king."
"Stand by for battle, Lucario," Aaron ordered.
"Not enough blood yet." AZ licked his lips and hunkered down once again. "There's still plenty more to spill." However, instead of charging, he hesitated and glanced up at the sky. "Hmm. It should be time." His eyes flashed as the Fairy Plate fed him intelligence, and he grinned. "Ha ha ha. You truly have a wonderful eye for talent, Lord Vandrick," he said.
Kalos Region - Beneath Geosenge Town
Finally, finally, N emerged from the seemingly never ending hallway of stone into a wider chamber. It was quiet and empty, the stacks of crates lining the dimly lit room abandoned by their possessors. However, it wasn't completely empty.
"Shit, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Zinnia cursed. She was sitting on the ground, leaning back against her Salamence.
"Sorry," N said, gasping for breath. His face and neck shined with sweat.
Zinnia smirked. "Did you seriously run all the way here? How many miles is it between Cyllage and Geosenge?" Then she frowned. "Where's Reshiram?"
After taking a few more breaths, N patted his bag. "Resting."
Zinnia's eyes remained thin as she stared at N's bag, seemingly unable to believe the legendary dragon had been bested. "So you got attacked too then, huh?" she eventually murmured. "I wonder how they're doing in Rota."
N straightened himself and glanced around the chamber. Strange machinery and piping scaled up the ancient walls, layering old and new together. The air stunk of mildew and sour smoke. "I talked to Sylvester a bit before our call cut out. Rota has been attacked as well, and AZ is there, as is Cynthia."
Surprisingly, Zinnia didn't overreact. She simply raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Lucky them."
N frowned. "Are you alright?"
"Never better," Zinnia said dismissively, crawling toward the wall. An ornate stone pillar sat basked in the shadows just beside her, and she moved toward it.
"When did you get here?" N asked.
"'Bout ten minutes ago."
"Has anyone entered this room since you arrived?"
"Nope."
N scowled and glanced around again. Where did he go?
"Why, what's up?" Zinnia asked, noticing his discontent.
"I fought a young trainer around your age working for AZ," he explained, beginning to pace around the chamber, checking nooks and crannies and scanning the shadowed darkness. "We defeated him, but he slipped through our fingers. He was heading back here as fast as he could. He even left his pokémon behind."
Zinnia clicked her tongue. "How did someone so young get mixed up with AZ? No good."
"No good indeed," N agreed, his search becoming more frantic. "There must have been another path he went down…a hidden side path I didn't notice in my haste to get here. As one of AZ's loyalists, he would know this place far better."
Zinnia nodded, standing up slowly. She clutched her side and grunted quietly as she rose.
"You're hurt…" N said.
"Don't worry about me," she said curtly. "We need to find this lost man of yours. I've been looking at this thing for the past ten minutes but I still have no idea what it is." She thumbed the stone pillar next to her, and N approached it.
He hadn't noticed before, but it was no pillar, nor was it made of stone. It was made of some sort of crystal, thick layers of the jagged stuff compressed and curled into an eerie spire whose peak was obscured in darkness at the top of the chamber.
"Aster got bad vibes from it," Zinnia continued. "If your guy ran off like a coward to get here, then I'm guessing he was after this."
N placed his hand on it, but the crystal was cold. It felt just like a normal rock. "Perhaps I can wake Reshiram to have a look."
Salamence suddenly grunted, and a noise escaped his mouth that sounded like choking. Both N and Zinnia's heads whipped in his direction. A ring of metal was lodged in his mouth awkwardly, and he stumbled back, crashing into the crates behind him.
For a split second, the dragon's head passed beneath a dim shaft of sunlight that sheared between a crack in the ceiling above, and N's eyes widened at what he saw.
It was a Klefki in Salamence's mouth.
"Zinnia!" he roared, but he was half a second too late.
Caleb emerged from the shadows and slammed his fist into Zinnia's injured midsection, and she cried out, crumpling to the ground. N surged forward, but Caleb tossed two pokéballs in his direction. Before he could react, they opened, emptying out the defeated bodies of Pangoro and Barbaracle. They collapsed in front of him, still unconscious, but their large forms impeded his path all the same.
From behind their slacken arms, N could see Caleb sprint over to the crystal spire. He scowled and clambered over the defeated pokémon. The youth glared at him as he approached, but he barely had time to turn before N tackled him to the ground and planted his arm across his neck.
Caleb coughed and squirmed beneath him, but when it was clear he couldn't get away, he smirked, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. "It's too late."
The spire lurched, shaking the chamber, and it began to rise. It burst through the ceiling, showering them in dirt and shattered stone, and N squinted at the sudden flood of sunlight. Some sort of metal contraption pushed the spire higher and higher with cacophonous clanks and whirs until it had fully unburied itself. N couldn't see it too well now, but he could hear it. It released an otherworldly hiss, a deep suction sound, and the wires lining the mechanical plinth it rested on began to glow a harsh azure. The entire structure began to tremble, before a lancing light exploded skyward, blinding everyone within.
Though he couldn't see, N made sure to keep Caleb in place beneath him. He cracked open an eye after a few seconds and saw Zinnia shifting in place, dirt falling from her hair. Seeing her okay, N refocused on Caleb. "What did you just do?!" he shouted over the keening roar of the spire.
Caleb grinned, his breathing unsteady. "For…my…master," he bit out.
Next — Chapter 42 : Fury
Haha maybe it is a little much. Well, it's nothing compared to what i have planned later 😗
Remnants of the Great War [33]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [33]
Chapter 42 : Fury
Remnants of the Great War Arc [33]
Chapter 42 : Fury
Kalos Region - Beneath Geosenge Town
The heat from the crystal spire was scorching, and Zinnia felt like she could barely breathe without burning her throat. Her broken side throbbed in agony where that kid had punched her, and she sucked in air through gritted teeth. Just in front of her, N had the bastard held down, and she pulled herself toward him, through the maelstrom of winds that gusted out from the gaping hole in the ceiling. At first, she'd thought her vision was poor because of the sudden flood of daylight, but as the seconds passed, it became clear that the blinding light from above was not simply due to the sun.
The spire was pumping power into the sky, each burst releasing an eerie whine as it shook the earth around them. Gravel and dirt alike fell from above, and white smoke began to curl around them, drifting from the spire.
After what seemed like ages, the light above finally started to fade, and the machinery beneath the spire began to stop, its glow fading.
Zinnia panted on the ground, her knuckles red from pressing against the stone floor so hard. She hadn't realized before, but she was covered in a sheen of sweat, and a draft of wind from above almost made her shiver.
Behind her, Salamence spit the Klefki out of his mouth, and it hit the ground with a metallic thud. He snorted furiously, unable to believe he'd been subjected to such humiliation.
Ever diligent, N had kept the boy firmly beneath him the entire him, but he looked nearly as out of it as she did. As N lifted himself off of him, his eyes seemed glazed over as he stared vacantly at the sky, and his lips quivered as he took quick breaths.
Seeing her having trouble, N walked over and offered a hand, which Zinnia gladly took, hiding her wince as best she could. Then, together, the two of them stared down at the boy.
His eyes slid between them, but he didn't react.
"What did you just do?" N said in a low voice.
It was rare…well, actually, Zinnia had never heard N use a tone this threatening. She didn't even know he was capable of such a thing, compassionate and aloof as he usually was. It gave her pause, and she glanced between the two reservedly.
The boy coughed, and moved a dirtied hand up to his neck. Sweat matted his brown hair to his dirt-stained face, messy and disheveled now. He swallowed, and fixed N with a flat gaze. He said nothing.
"You're not gonna talk, right?" Zinnia asked.
The boy smirked, though laying on the ground, with dirty sweat glistening on his face, it looked a little pathetic. He shook his head.
Zinnia's foot slammed down on his skull, and almost immediately afterward, she cried out and fell to her knees, clutching at her injured side.
"Zinnia!" N knelt beside her and grabbed her shoulders before she could tip over. He glanced at the boy, then back at her.
"Broken ribs. And that's exactly where he got me," Zinnia bit out, motioning as best she could with her hand on the same side. "Don't get mad, he had it coming."
N looked down at her injured torso with furrowed brows. "I won't get mad. It's my fault. I pointed it out to him." He glanced over at the boy, and the gray and red footprint on his forehead where Zinnia had kicked him. "But please don't exert yourself in this state." He helped her up again, though this time, she stayed slightly hunched over in pain. "I don't mean to be dismissive, but we need to figure out what he did, and fast."
"I told you not to worry about me." Zinnia supported herself on N's arm, but she let go as she hobbled over to the spire. "Now that we've seen it in action, it seems pretty clear that its some sort of energy conduit."
"I saw similar phenomena during my time in Team Plasma. A doctor there was very interested in the sort of energy that could be derived from structures like this," N agreed. "Perhaps it's my bias speaking, but I fear that this crystal, like the others, has a violent purpose."
"I'd assume so. If that kid rushed back here for that, then I'm sure it's nothing good. But we're all the way in Kalos… That energy he fired…if its target is in Rota…"
"Let's get back to the surface," N said curtly. "We can't do much from down here, and if all that energy is truly set to land in Rota, then we must do everything in our power to stop it."
"What about him?" Zinnia asked, pointing at the boy.
N paused for a moment. "Let's just bring him to the surface for now." He quickly recalled the boy's defeated pokémon and attached the pokéballs back to his waist, then helped Zinnia climb onto Salamence's back. Salamence stomped over and took the boy in his mouth, but it looked like the dragon was exerting a tremendous amount of willpower to keep from crunching him in his jaws.
As they crested the lip of the hole, Geosenge came into view. Several ancient stones, which had stood in the center of town for generations, had been crushed or knocked over. Civilians stood in a pack around the hole, though luckily they were a distance away, behind a perimeter set by the local police. Upon seeing Salamence rise out, the officers barked orders at their pokémon, immediately rounding on the dragon.
"Stand down! Dismount from the Salamence, immediately!" one of them roared through a megaphone. A wave of concern passed through the gathered civilians as they exchanged words, and some closest to Salamence took a few steps back.
"We don't have time for this," Zinnia mumbled as she leaned against Salamence's neck. Her sight was pointed down; she was in so much pain she didn't even want to move her neck.
"I agree," N muttered back. "No need to look, but I can see the energy high in the sky, and getting higher."
"Get off the Salamence, now!"
"If it's already that high up, I doubt Salamence can catch up."
The dragon snorted in indignation beneath her, but she was in too much pain to retort.
"Reshiram can fly us," N said. "He's rested enough for that."
"And the guy?"
"Let's leave him here. The police will want something to chew on after we head out."
"Are you listening to me?! Get off the damn Salamence or we will attack!"
"Ahhh, shut up," Zinnia moaned. "On your move, then."
N nodded and reached into his bag. He leaned down ever so slightly and whispered something unintelligible.
"Hey, keep your hands where we can see them!"
Salamence opened his jaw and dumped the boy's body carelessly on the ground.
The Light Stone rolled out of N's bag and hit the ground below with the thump. The police officers barely had time to register it before its surface melted into orange, and it expanded outward, sweeping beneath Salamence in a storm of blazing embers. The police screeched in alarm, and several ordered their pokémon to attack, but a billowing white wing swept in front of N and Zinnia, shielding them from all harm.
Salamence clung to Reshiram's back in confusion, flapping his wings to keep himself upright, for fear of hurting his trainer. Reshiram glanced back and snorted.
N rested his hand on Zinnia's shoulder. "You can recall Salamence now. I've got you."
Zinnia nodded and braced herself. As she pulled out Salamence's pokéball, she felt N's hand grip her back. She activated the pokéball, and Salamence disappeared beneath them. She hissed in pain as she dropped, but surprisingly, Reshiram's body rose to meet her, and the impact was soft and bearable. In front of her, Reshiram roared, and the air began to get even hotter as his tail flared, and he began to flap his wings.
This was Zinnia's first time riding Reshiram. She'd been far too proud to ever ask N before, but even then, it was her personal philosophy that legendary dragons should be afforded a certain level of reverence that did not permit her to make such a recreational request in the first place. But since the opportunity had presented itself, she gladly drank it in.
The first thing she noticed was how hurt he was. Congealed blood ran from cuts across his body, and Zinnia nearly yelled at N out of reflex. How could you let this happen?! she wanted to say. But even before that, she had to wonder, how could this even have happened? She glanced up at N's back, her lips pouty. She'd stomped him out, but clearly that kid had been strong, to be able to injure Reshiram so. She wondered what would've happened if she and N had found themselves reversed, with her challenging the boy, and N and Reshiram plowing through that horde of acolytes. Perhaps they'd gotten bad matchups. But maybe that was by design. Either way, they'd both come out victorious, though neither unscathed.
Reshiram's blood gave off a bronze smell, and Zinnia found herself ignoring his wounds out of respect. Instead, she observed the rest of his body.
His fur, if it could be called that, was hot and soft, but it felt more like resting on thick smoke than actual hair. The way it billowed in the wind, it felt like she was resting on a bed of fire, but instead of burning her, it made her feel invigorated. Reshiram smelled of smoke and power. Despite the agony in her side, she couldn't help but smile. This is a dragon.
Reshiram rose into the sky, leaving the shouts of the police and the chaotic Geosenge Town behind. Their heading was clear. For above them, a bright star shined above despite it being the middle of the day, white light trailing behind it like a comet.
"We're going to speed up!" N shouted over the roar of the wind. "Hang on!"
Despite it feeling slightly inappropriate to do so, Zinnia grabbed on to Reshiram's fur and clutched him even tighter, pressing her body against him. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore everything else going on around her, focusing exclusively on the warmth beneath her.
A moment later, Reshiram zipped skyward, and though it somehow didn't exacerbate her broken ribs, Zinnia felt her stomach turn at the sudden change in velocity. Salamence was fast, but not this fast. A new respect for N birthed in her.
As the sky whipped past them, Zinnia refocused on the catastrophe at hand. The energy fired from the spire gleamed above them, burning through the fluffy clouds above Geosenge as it ascended. It was climbing far faster than Reshiram was flying, but Zinnia could tell the dragon was trying to catch it ahead of where it was now. It was curving slightly, and Reshiram was rocketing toward the sky in front of it. Despite how fast they were flying, the buildings and ruins of Geosenge now little more than pebbles in the distance, the ride didn't feel perilous at all, nor was the wind freezing them as they flew. Such was the majesty of a legendary dragon.
Zinnia squinted as they neared the streaking mass of energy. She hadn't noticed before, but now that they were closer, she could tell it was huge. It must have been the size of a skyscraper, like the ones in Lilycove and Mossdeep. The spire in that underground chamber was minuscule by comparison, and it made Zinnia wonder how such a thing had fired off something this large and powerful. It seemed to burn as bright and white as the sun as it roared across the sky.
"Reshiram!" N yelled. "Blue Flare!"
"Wait, aren't we too close?!" Zinnia screeched.
Reshiram and N both ignored her as Reshiram opened his jaw, summoning a glowing power with a sapphire hue from deep within itself. The mass of energy was above them, but in just a few seconds, it was going to roar past them. Clearly, N intended to destroy it as it crossed their path. Even as he charged his attack, Reshiram kept soaring through the sky at a breathtaking clip. Closer, closer, and closer it got, and brighter, brighter, brighter, did Reshiram's maw get.
"Now!" N roared.
A snort oozed from Reshiram's smoking nostrils, and he reared back, before blasting the attack forward. A gleaming ray of sapphire fire shot from Reshiram's mouth in a concentrated line. At the same time, the mass of energy rushed past in a blinding blur. The Blue Flare crashed into its side, ripping through its surface like a frozen lake. Reshiram roared even louder, unleashing even more power, and his body shuddered beneath them.
N gripped Reshiram's side, sweat dripping down his temple. Zinnia glanced between him, and the awesome display of power with worry. The mass of energy wasn't collapsing. It was like it was regenerating itself as Reshiram's Blue Flare tore across it.
"Enough, Reshiram!" N said, clapping his neck, and the dragon extinguished his attack. Just a moment later, the last of the energy streaked past them, leaving them in the dust as it continued to rocket out of their reach.
Zinnia swallowed. It was strangely quiet now, the only sound in the air coming from the beat of Reshiram's wings as he kept them aloft. "What now?" she said.
N exhaled and leaned back against Reshiram's neck. "Reshiram isn't strong enough to destroy it." He glanced back at Zinnia. "It's not because he's worn out from the battle earlier either. Even at full strength…I'm still not sure we'd even be able to dent it."
Zinnia hadn't wanted to say it aloud, especially since she was riding atop the dragon himself, but she had been thinking it. She already knew it'd be futile to send her own dragons at it. She'd clung to the hope that Reshiram would be able to destroy it, but if N had assessed that he couldn't, then that was that. A dragon's strengths, and limits, were best known by its master, after all. "What even is it?" she said.
"Something terrible, says Reshiram. Aster was right to be worried."
"We need to let Sylvester know," Zinnia said, trying to hide the panic in her voice. "If we can't stop it… Look." She pointed at it. "The way it's curving…it's heading west."
"Toward Rota," N said in a low voice. "And it's getting faster."
Now that he said it, Zinnia could see that it certainly was. It was so far above them now, it seemed almost inconceivable that they'd been so close to it just a short while ago. "That much energy is enough…" Her voice caught in her throat.
"Enough to level a city," N finished. "Perhaps we should just call one of our friends in Rota directly. If Sir Aaron could be notified, maybe he—"
"Let's keep after it," Zinnia said. "Even if we can't catch up, we can still track its movement. Aster can. If it keeps getting faster, who knows how much time they'll have in Rota to react. We'll be able to give them the most accurate intel."
N paused to think it over, then nodded. "I agree. I'll still call Sylvester, though."
Zinnia nodded, and pulled out Aster's pokéball.
She tried to keep her mind off her friends in Rota.
But she couldn't.
Land of Rota - South of Cameran Palace
"Riley!"
Sabrina watched as Sarah surged forward through the fray and embraced the spiky-haired Guardian. He looked tired, but determination gleamed in his eyes. He gave the girl a tender squeeze before gently pushing her away, and he fixed her with a worried gaze.
"What're you doing here? You told me you were assigned to the medical team."
Wordlessly, Sarah pointed back at Regigigas, its eyes shining through the storm. Riley's eyes widened as the unbelievable sight sank in, and he swallowed, clenching his fist. "Ah, I see." Noticing Sabrina, he turned. "Sabrina. Thank you for notifying me about Anabel, and for closing that portal." He glanced around. "We're barely holding our own now. I can't imagine having even more of them to contend with."
Sarah grabbed at his sleeve. "Riley, please help us evacuate the palace! There're still Guardians inside, and soon, it will collapse beneath Regigigas! Sabrina…Sabrina said she would handle it, so you don't need to fight any more!"
Riley scowled at the gargantuan golem, his lips pursed. He turned to Sabrina, searching for the truth of Sarah's words, but Sabrina was resolute. "Are you sure?" he asked. "It does me no favors to say this, but this isn't your fight. Why would you go so far for us?"
Sabrina opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Good question. Though really, that question could be applied to everything and anything she did. Why? Why did she join Paragon? Why did she come here to Rota? Why had she just zipped all across Rota like a maniac?
Why did she even wake up this morning?
Riley and Sarah had their reasons. Ash and Anabel had theres. Hell, even AZ had his. But for Sabrina, life was a numbed affair. Usually, it was easy enough to ignore that reality and simply live day to day. But today, she'd undergone far more suffering than usual. Why did she subject herself to that?
She glanced back at Regigigas. As its fingers curled around the edge of the roof of one of the buildings, crumbled rubble dropped down the side, crashing through the forest below. With every move, it groaned, echoing its mechanical malevolence across the lake.
Riley hadn't taken his eyes off of her. It seemed he actually wanted an answer.
Unlike matters of her heart and mind, dispatching an ancient golem the size of a castle would be a simple task.
"Because it's easy," she finally said. And it was true.
Riley frowned incredulously. "Easy? That thing? Are you sure you don't want—"
He spun as one of AZ's men charged him, and he palmed him in the chin, before kicking him back. His Lucario swiftly launched an Aura Sphere at the man's Manectric, and both combatants went tumbling away back into the chaos. Once that was taken care of, he locked eyes with Sabrina once again, concern coloring his expression.
But she was stoic. "You should get back to the palace now. The Queen is still inside."
Riley hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Sabrina. Let's reconvene when this is over so I can thank you properly."
Sarah shot him a look, but Riley grabbed her hand, and she jumped. "You're coming with me."
"O-Okay!"
"I know how stubborn the Queen can be. Only a spiel from you could hope to get her out of the palace."
Sarah scowled in embarrassment, but Riley was already pulling her along toward the palace, their Lucarios in tow behind them.
With that handled, Sabrina exhaled and spread her consciousness across Rota. Anabel and Cynthia's Lucario were almost here, and he already knew to take her straight to the evacuation point. Ash was now dangerously close to AZ and Sir Aaron's fight. In fact, he may have already joined. It was difficult to tell, but that only heightened Sabrina's anxiety. And Cynthia was still in front of the Tree of Beginning.
She retracted her perception and took several deep breaths. She needed her mind cleared for the foe ahead. For now, she needed to trust that everyone would keep themselves safe while pursuing their various goals. Not everything was in her control.
But this Regigigas was.
Her gauntlets whirred, and she vanished in a flash of emerald, reappearing in the air above the titan. The rain dumped on her, the wind casting her hair this way and that. Her eyes glowed dimly in the storm as she kept herself aloft, and a crack of lightning lanced down behind her, illuminating the valley.
Regigigas hadn't seemed to notice her yet, so she began to extend her power forward, jade light curling around her arms like snakes.
All of a sudden, Regigigas froze in place, its massive arm hovering in midair just before grabbing the tiled roof of the building it was nearly at the top of. A deep groan reverberated from the golem's form, and despite its inorganic nature, its feelings were clear: anger. Anger that something had dared deign to challenge its ascent up the palace.
She couldn't physically see it from this distance, but Sabrina's jade psychic energy had found its way to Regigigas and latched on. Its entire body brimmed with a furious potency, as if exerting itself against the invisible power. Then, Regigigas released another booming roar, and her hold over it shattered, dissipating into emerald sparks that quickly disappeared in the rain.
I thought so. AZ had also broken free from her, but that was AZ, so she'd thought maybe it'd work against Regigigas, but it seemed his pokémon were at least as tenacious as he was. I didn't want to have to do this.
Sabrina raised her left wrist to her face. Her gauntlet glowed in the darkness, casting a green glow on her face as it rotated about her wrist with mechanical precision. "Disable left arm restraint."
The gauntlet's light faded and gradually began to stop spinning. Sabrina shuddered, clutching her head as her mind reacclimated to their new power level. The energy flickering across her body flared, and the air around her hissed in protest. Slowly, the light around her shifted from a vibrant jade, and a deep violet. Purple cracks webbed out across her skin, and when she opened her eyes, they were nothing more than depthless bits of light. Her hair blew around her in gales, and when she exhaled, her breath condensed in a white haze.
She suddenly became aware of everyone and everything in Rota. She knew exactly how many Guardians there were below, and how many of AZ's acolytes. She could see Cynthia's Glaceon dueling with her opponent's Sylveon by the Tree of Beginning. She could see Sir Aaron and AZ, Ash and Anabel, Queen Ilene and Captain Magnus. She could feel the thundering of the hills in the north as countless pokémon fled from the annals of the Tree of Beginning, obeying a command Sabrina could now hear.
It is absolutely imperative that these restraints are never damaged or removed. If they are, it would be lethal for Sabrina. And not just her…everyone around her as well. Even if only one is removed…well, I'll just say it would be difficult to call her human at that point.
Sabrina hadn't been trying to eavesdrop on the doctor, but her parents hadn't spared much of a thought to her or what she'd be up to.
She was far enough from anyone else that at least that wasn't a concern. If I combust, maybe the Guardians will get a nice light show out of it.
Regigigas roared and screeched, sounding like an angry dog barking its fury at Sabrina as it clung to the palace's side.
Sabrina raised her hand once more, the tips of her fingers limned in a dark energy, and she flicked her wrist.
Regigigas was suddenly ripped from the palace's side. It screamed in a deep voice of pure hatred, echoing throughout all of Rota.
Sabrina spun her wrist, and Regigigas responded accordingly, curling in midair like some demonic puppet, until it was upside down. Its legs and arms flailed as it grunted in anger and confusion. As its body turned, all six of its beacon-like eyes found Sabrina and swiveled on to her, bathing her in a multicolored spotlight. She narrowed her eyes.
Regigigas strained against her hold, fighting to raise its arms in her direction. Sabrina didn't react as each arm locked on to her, like the barrels of two enormous cannons. A searing light began to gather in front of both, and with a baleful screech, Regigigas fired twin Hyper Beams.
Sabrina raised two fingers on her other hand and drew them through the air almost lazily. Just before the Hyper Beams engulfed her, two perfect circles opened in front of her, holes in the fabric of space. The Hyper Beams disappeared into them, and two more opened above Regigigas, the Hyper Beams firing out not a moment later. Regigigas roared in agony as they splashed down on its head, and ceased its attack immediately.
But she wasn't done. Sabrina opened her palm, and a constellation of rifts opened all around Regigigas. A second later, a Hyper Beam blasted out of each one, scorching Regigigas all across its body with its own attack. The cloned portals had duplicated their contents too, and Regigigas screamed.
Now, show me your memory. Sabrina's blazing eyes seared violet as she peered through reality, piercing Regigigas' soul and reading its divine language in an instant.
Despite the fact that it was an automaton and had no real brain, its soul had accumulated memories all the same, and visions of them flashed in Sabrina's mind, years passing in a single instant. Her heart palpitated as she experienced a hundred emotions at once, but she willed a psychic slice through her mind, severing them before they could take hold.
AZ had met Regigigas early in his tenure as king. He'd found the ancient golem in the far north, in a land called Hisui. While touring the world, he'd found himself in a blizzard, lost from his men, and the guides that had taken him there. He'd found solace in a nondescript temple of some ancient tribe. A Regigigas slumbered within, and it had slipped into one of his pokéballs without him even knowing, as he lay shivering, frostbitten, and dehydrated on the cold stone floor.
It wasn't until later in his journey that he discovered his new companion, a stalwart but brooding guardian who allowed no harm to befall his master, but also did not participate in any conflicts personally. Apparently, it had sensed a coming catastrophe, and AZ's importance therewith in the tapestries of fate. But was that affection it felt toward its master? And anguish at his eventual defeat?
It enjoyed war just as much as AZ, but actively refrained from battle so its master could enjoy the full spoils of violence…?
Tears pooled and dripped from Sabrina's eyes unbidden, but the emotions that had caused them had already come and gone, and they too lost themselves in the rain.
Time to finish this.
Sabrina rose higher into the sky, breaching the ocean of storm clouds above. Lightning flashed around her as she swam up through the darkness, but she soon emerged above them. In complete contrast, here, it was silent and serene, but also bright and scorching.
Almost immediately, Sabrina's hair caught fire, burned by the sunlight that AZ's Groudon had amplified over Rota. Only Kyogre's storm protected the Guardians from a similar, albeit less extreme, fate.
The sunlight meant nothing to Sabrina now. She opened her hands and devoured as much of it as she could, gathering its flames around her in a fearsome corona. As her blaze expanded, she locked eyes with the sun as she did every morning, and squinted wistfully.
Regigigas spent most of its life in the cold. It dislikes warmth.
With her fire anchored to her, Sabrina plunged back into the storm. The fire attracted lightning, and electricity surged across its roiling surface, imbuing the ring with even greater destruction.
As she breached the cloud line below, she could sense the attention of those gathered below suddenly turn on her. It wasn't a surprise. Surely, she looked like an otherworldly sun right now. At the very least, she must've looked as bright as one.
Regigigas hadn't moved from the spot where Sabrina had suspended it, still squirming in midair. It glanced up at her too as she approached, and through the maelstrom of emotions it was emitting, another suddenly became clear.
Fear.
Sabrina closed her eyes and willed the storm above her to move. Dark clouds whipped into a cyclone and began to spin around Regigigas and Sabrina. As the twister descended, the gray winds got faster and thicker, racing around in a spiral that cloaked the both of them from the rest of Rota. Lightning arced from the raging walls of the cloudy prison to the crackling surface of Sabrina's fiery ring, and the thunder that followed boomed throughout the stormy chamber in an echo.
In the ravenous winds of the twister, flecks of Sabrina's skin flecked off from her body as glowing violet embers, and they swirled around in an arcane storm. However, she paid it no mind as she raised her arm.
I can't let you see this.
Regigigas roared in challenge, as if daring Sabrina to launch the spinning disc of fire.
Please forgive me. Though to whom exactly that request was addressed to, Sabrina couldn't say for certain. She brought her hand down.
The ring of fire blitzed downward in a furious frenzy. Regigigas grunted, trying to move its arms to block, but the attack was far too quick, and Sabrina had strengthened her hold over it too. There was no escape.
The ring burst into a blinding, searing light as it reached Regigigas. Without hesitation, it cleaved the ancient golem in half, separated diagonally from head to hip. Three of its eyes ended up on each half, but their lights were silenced instantly, and the pieces of its body went slack. The half with its legs and left arm crashed down on top of the one with its head and right arm as both tumbled down to the lake far, far below. They disappeared in a plume of white foam, sinking down to the pitch black lakebed.
Once the foam had dissipated, and the surface of the lake was calm again, or as calm as the roiling tempest allowed, Sabrina willed her restraint back on, and her eyes melted back from violet to jade. The fissures across her body sealed up, the light seeping from within fading. The cyclone around her began to calm, and before she could draw any more attention to herself, she teleported away.
She reappeared on the center island, within the grove of golden maple trees before the palace. In the darkness of the storm, their leaves were damp and dull, and Sabrina collapsed into their shadows against the trunk of one of the trees. Her left gauntlet was once again glowing emerald and spinning, and after confirming it, she closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths. No light show today.
There were very few things Sabrina was confident about, especially regarding herself.
Her ability to destroy was one of them.
Land of Rota - East of Cameran Palace
Aaron stared up at the sky, the rain falling through his Aura body. "No…" he murmured.
"Hah hah," AZ taunted. "Something the matter, hero?"
All around them lay unmoving pokémon. Corviknight and Nidoking. Tyranitar and Ampharos. Gallade and Dragonite. Escavalier and Magmortar.
All defeated by AZ.
Only Lucario still remained conscious, but wounds peppered his body, and he panted with exertion, leaning against a ruined tree to stabilize himself.
The rain ran down AZ's bare chest, and he grinned. "Give me more! You can't end this just yet! Stay and entertain me longer!"
Aaron trembled, his face shadowed by his hair. He clenched his fist. "You fool."
AZ raised an eyebrow.
"You blasted fool, how could you?!" Aaron shouted. "You fired the weapon!"
"That's right!" AZ said triumphantly. "Struggle all you want, but my victory is assured. So what will it be? Will you stay and fight me, or will you abandon your people like a coward again?"
Aaron closed his eyes. "Don't think for a moment that you've won. You underestimate the Guardians far too much." As he spoke, he clapped his hands together, then pulled them apart. Grasped in his right hand was a sword of pure Aura that shined so brilliantly it was almost white. As Aaron arced it around and brought it to his side, it left a mystical trail of azure mist in the air, power radiating from its every move.
"Hmph." AZ rested his hand on his chest, and his body lurched. A bright light gleamed at the center of his chest, and he slowly pulled his hand away. He too held a blade in his right hand, but while Aaron's was elegant and sleek, this one was jagged and misshapen, far larger, and somehow gleaming even brighter. As AZ drew it to his side, it released a keening wheeze as it throbbed and pulsed.
"The Fairy Plate made manifest," Aaron breathed. "You've turned it into a weapon."
"An unbeatable weapon," AZ said.
Aaron glared at AZ, and a moment later, he vanished. AZ frowned, but Aaron reappeared right in front of him, raking his sword across his chest at lightning speed. AZ grunted, and his fist shot out instinctively, but Aaron dodged. AZ's eyes burned, and a moment later, a white blur slashed across the air where Aaron had been planted not a second ago. The path of his Fairy Plate blade shimmered, but Aaron had already jumped back.
AZ smirked, unperturbed by his injury, or his failed counterattack. "Yes. This is more like it," he hissed. Angling his sword around, he licked his lips. "Let us clothe ourselves in the crimson garb of this violent world!"
Next — Chapter 43 : Aaron and Azett
It is nothing short of a miracle that this chapter came out on time considering the Elden Ring DLC just dropped. Honestly, I'll just say that future chapters may be late until I beat it
Okay, proofreading done— time to fight Messmer. Wish me luck
Remnants of the Great War [34]
]PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [34]
Chapter 43 : Aaron and Azett
Land of Rota - East of Cameran Palace
Ash watched from the shadows of the forest as the two legends clashed. Sir Aaron wielded a sword of pure Aura, and alongside his own Mega Lucario, they danced against AZ and his jagged slab-like Plate-blade. Ash recognized it immediately, similar in appearance as it was to the Electric Plate when he'd first found it, yet AZ swung it as easily as he would a baseball bat. He cleaved through the air, leaving blinding sparks in his wake, snarling like an animal as he advanced on his opponents.
Lucario jumped and caught the blade between his iron paws, and Aaron ducked beneath him to deliver a strike on AZ's thigh. But the giant didn't falter in the slightest, leaping and pressing his forearm against the edge of the blade, before bringing his full weight down it, crushing Lucario into the ground. The jackal's eyes went white as he vomited spittle. But Aaron swiftly followed up with a flurry of gleaming thrusts, forcing AZ back.
Sir Aaron's pokémon littered the battlefield, unconscious, and Ash could only think of one reason why. Sir Aaron hasn't even had time to recall them. The battle playing out before him was unlike anything he'd ever seen, barring literal fantasy. This clash existed so far outside the realm of traditional pokémon battles that Ash wasn't even sure how to intrude upon it. Every time their swords met, a furious clang like a gong from an enormous bell echoed outward.
As Sir Aaron sidestepped a downward slash, dodging only by a hair, he peppered AZ's side with a storm of cuts, his arm moving so fast his sword was nothing but an azure blur in Ash's eyes. AZ tried to beat him back with the flat of his sword, but Aaron simply dodged again, seemingly floating out of the way to deliver another series of attacks to his other side.
Sir Aaron is too fast for him. His attacks aren't doing as much damage, but if he keeps this up…
AZ roared, and as Aaron rounded into his blind spot, AZ's fist shot out and grabbed Aaron by the neck without him even needing to look. The Guardian King grimaced, and AZ eyes shined with homicidal intent as he hefted his blade high above his head. The rain glinted against its surface, refracting its crystalline light across Aaron's face. The Guardian King grit his teeth and moved his sword in front of him just as the Plate-blade came screaming down. A vicious trail of white light followed, and Ash saw Aaron crumple beneath the effulgent arc. His sword shattered and detonated, and a massive explosion blasted the two men apart. AZ remained rooted in place, but Aaron went tumbling back across the grass in a column of wind. He rolled to a stop and grunted.
Sweat dripped down Ash's face and a lance of anxiety bled through his heart. His attacks are faster, but AZ's are stronger… As Aaron got to his feet, he clutched his head with his hand. When he pulled it away, Ash's eyes widened. "Impossible…" he said aloud.
Sir Aaron's hand was red, and blood dripped from a gash on his forehead. He too stared at it for a few moments, before glancing back up at AZ.
AZ buried his sword in the ground and grinned. "Did you think that just because your body is made of Aura that you could not bleed?" He laughed mockingly. "I'll make you remember you're still mortal!" He picked up his sword again and began sauntering toward Aaron.
Lucario peeled himself from the ground, shaking off dirt and soil, but AZ paid him no mind.
Now is the time, young one.
Ash's eyes widened and he almost made a sound, but he quickly stifled himself. Lucario!
On my master's sign, we will strike together.
Ash's heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline flooding his system. It was happening now. It was time to face AZ again. He swallowed and steeled himself, nodding. He couldn't hide in the bushes forever. He began to call upon the power of the Plate that coursed like lightning through his veins.
Aaron's hand dropped and he conjured another sword. Clutching the handle in one hand and guiding the pommel with the other, he slowly angled it toward AZ.
A moment before he moved, Sir Aaron's Aura flared.
Ash's body moved before his mind. Electricity blazed to life in a torrent around him, and he leaped toward AZ, tangled bolts trailing behind him. At the same time, Sir Aaron blitzed forward in a blue blur, and Lucario leapt into the air with a roar, his crimson fists and forearms shining silver.
Ash had his target in his sights. With Aaron coming at him from the front and Lucario coming from above, Ash's target was AZ's side, already bloody and wounded from Sir Aaron's prior attacks. From all three angles, AZ could only see one attacker at once. Even if he tries that Misty Explosion technique he used before, I can protect myself from it, and if I can, then the other two can too!
"Hello again," AZ snarled, and Ash suddenly felt a giant hand close and tighten around his outstretched wrist.
Before he could process what was happening, he felt his body jerk in another direction, and he slammed into what felt like a brick wall. His vision seized, but just barely not enough for him to miss AZ's fist catching Sir Aaron square in the face, and pummeling him to the ground.
When Ash's ears stopped ringing, he tried pushing himself to his feet, but found not the ground beneath his weight, but Lucario. The jackal groaned as Ash shifted his weight atop him, and Ash quickly leapt off. "Lucario! Sorry, I…"
It isn't your fault. He saw us coming, and threw you into me. Lucario took Ash's helping hand and stood, glaring at AZ across the way.
Lucario's skin burned with power and Ash nearly winced just at the touch of it. This was Sir Aaron's strongest partner…
You've grown powerful since we last met, Ash Ketchum, he said. Your body and spirit both possess a heat that nearly eclipses my own. Were we enemies, I would take no pleasure in having to face you.
Ash stared in awe. Lucario had felt the same way about him.
Sir Aaron rubbed his jaw as he stood, and his entire body flickered. He fixed AZ with a stalwart gaze, but the giant seemed even angrier than he did.
"This fight has nothing to do with you," AZ rumbled, turning toward Ash. "You know naught of its significance. Stay out of this."
Ash glared at AZ in turn, ignoring the pain in his body. "Yeah, I didn't think that would work. Didn't expect Sir Aaron and Lucario to go along with it, but clearly you did. Good thing I had a backup plan."
AZ sneered, crossing his burly arms. "I stopped your ambush with ease. Do you think I don't know about your pokémon, hiding in the forest?"
Ash chewed the inside of his mouth, but then, he grinned. "Even if you do, can you do anything to stop them?"
AZ frowned, but a moment later, the forest burst apart on either side of the clearing, a red and blue blur each streaking out at lightning speed.
Golden electricity danced in Ash's palms, and crackled upon the forms of his two partners. AZ moved to halt them just the same, but they were far too quick. They struck simultaneously, each one striking AZ's side in a grand release of strength. Charizard's Flare Blitz and Blastoise's Wave Crash twisted AZ's body in opposite directions, and he bellowed in pain. As Ash's pokemon expended their full strength into AZ's body, the giant soon buckled under the onslaught, and he collapsed to his knees with a pained grunt.
Before he could recover, Ash surged forward and landed a blinding Thunder Punch to his chest, sending him flying back across the clearing. Electricity crackled on the surface of his outstretched fist, and as he slowly lowered it, Pikachu leapt out and landed on his shoulder. "Good work, guys."
Charizard growled, flexing his augmented muscles, and Blastoise shivered from the electricity, nodding.
"Are you alright, Sir Aaron?" Ash asked, approaching him. Lucario followed, the appendages on his head billowing behind him.
Sir Aaron's hand trembled for a moment, but his Aura sword soon flashed back into his grip. "Yes, thank you." He fixed Ash with a gaze. "I apologize for springing that surprise attack on you. Him noticing was my error, but I'm glad you were able to take advantage of the opening. I see your battle prowess hasn't waned in the slightest."
"No, no!" Ash said defensively, slightly embarrassed from the praise. But his attention quickly turned at the sound of AZ stalking back toward them across the clearing, clapping his massive hands together. Charizard and Blastoise both rounded on him, sneering as they stood in front of their trainer protectively.
"Impressive," he said. "Very impressive. That's some trick you came up with. You didn't snare my attention before, but now, I can see why Aaron had his eye on you."
Sir Aaron stepped to Ash's side. "You said it yourself, the boy has nothing to do with this. This is a fight between you and I. Three thousand years in the making, isn't that right?"
AZ scowled, his face dripping with disgust. "Don't forget, he struck me first. And if he is here defending you, that makes him my enemy all the same." His lips curled into a bitter grin. "If only he knew the height of your treachery, perhaps he would not have jumped up to fight for you so quickly."
Ash frowned, glancing at Sir Aaron, but he gave nothing away.
"It was your own actions that placed you in that prison for three thousand years, not the Paragons. I'll make sure you understand that, if nothing else." Sir Aaron brandished his sword.
The Paragons? Ash wondered.
"The Paragons…," AZ repeated. His body began to shake with rage. "Fine. I'll take you all on at once! Come at me!" He rubbed his hands over his bloody torso, smearing his blood on his fingers, and he wiped his nose. Then, he roared to the stormy heavens.
As Ash prepared to defend himself, he could almost see the legacy of carnage burning on AZ's back as the giant charged toward him, demonic flames smoldering in his war-soaked eyes.
Land of Rota, over three thousand years ago
I was twenty-one when I first met Azett, and I had expected someone of far greater menace. As a child, I'd read stories about the cold, unflinching kings of the east, who expanded their borders relentlessly against the ravages of nature. Kalos was a land where humans dominated, so it was said. The only place like it in the world, and for many, a promise like that was plenty for them to pursue such a utopia. Beyond Rota, pokémon were thought of as monsters to fear, not companions to fight alongside. For an Aura Guardian like myself, such a place did not sound like a utopia. It did not even sound possible.
He came across the bridge with a flower in his hand, and he spoke to it as tenderly as a mother would her child. This I saw from a balcony on the palace. His soldiers marched alongside him, but he walked at a leisurely pace, stopping and starting again, seemingly at the whims of his little flower. Perhaps it was at that time that he had already piqued my interest. The easterners were said to hate pokémon, yet here was their king, frolicking with one beneath the sun in the sight of all his men.
"Your Majesty. Welcome to Rota," King Jurock said, a thin man whose best days were behind him. The simple iron crown of the Guardians sat unevenly on his head of long, gray hair. He opened his mouth to continue, but had to stifle a cough with his handkerchief. "Please excuse me. We are honored by your presence here."
Azett bowed, his regal cape flourishing over the floor of the throne room, and his men knelt in respect. "The honor is mine, fabled Guardian king. I must extend my thanks to you for accepting my proposal. I know tensions between east and west have been taut for quite some time, but it is a testament to your courage and goodwill that you would permit my visit." His regal voice echoed throughout the throne room.
He stood and motioned with a gloved hand, and a pair of his soldiers stepped forward, each carrying one side of a gilded chest. They placed it down before the king, and bowed before retreating.
"A gift for you," Azett announced. "Seeds from fruits and flowers of the east. Cloth and jewelry from the greatest artisans in our lands. And of course, treasure borne from the depths of our kingdom."
It wasn't often Rota received visitors from abroad, especially as far east as Kalos, and never kings or anything of the sort, but despite its novelty, the introduction ceremony was a rather tedious affair. I had to make a conscious effort to keep my eyes open as King Jurock and King Azett exchanged words and pleasantries and carried on with their royal ceremony. However, eventually the Guardians escorted Azett and his retinue away to their quarters elsewhere in the palace.
"Did you fall asleep with your eyes open?" a voice came from behind me as I was leaving the throne room after the Kalosians. Immediately, my chest tightened, and I turned around.
The eighteen year old Princess Rin was King Jurock's daughter, and she certainly looked like one with her long golden hair and angular face. She was smiling at me, and though it looked polite enough, I'd known her long enough to know that she was making fun of me.
"I saw your eyelids fluttering," she giggled, and I felt my face heat up.
"We're hosting the king of Kalos, I expected a bit more pomp and circumstance if I'm being honest," I said. "And isn't he a bit young? He scarcely looks older than me."
"Oh, you know us. The Guardians are creatures of tradition and simplicity." Rin watched as King Azett walked away with his men. "Apparently, he's one of the youngest kings Kalos has ever had."
I shrugged. At least talking to her had woken me back up again.
"So, what were you planning to do now?" she asked, flitting to my side as if she'd find the answer hidden behind me. "Off to train?"
"Actually, I was planning on taking a nap. I'm sure dinner will be another draining affair."
"Not as draining for you," Rin pouted, puffing up her cheeks like Qwilfish, but I dashed the idea of teasing her for it. She and I were friendly enough in private that she wouldn't care, but we were still in public, and had appearances to upkeep.
"True enough," I agreed. "But you're more suited to politics than I am."
Rin placed a finger on her cheek and looked away in thought. "Hm, I hear he's quite eccentric. Apparently, his age is the least significant thing that separates him from his predecessors. He does seem different from the other Kalos kings that have visited Rota in the past."
"And how would you know that?"
"Father said so," she said matter-of-factly.
Well, I had gotten the same impression after seeing him with that flower pokémon of his. Maybe tomorrow I'd ask Rin what he was like. As a member of the royal guard, I wouldn't get a chance to speak with him, but Rin would. And even though she'd sounded apprehensive about dinner, she was an absolute natural at diplomatic affairs. She would make an excellent Queen.
I bid my farewell to her and did precisely what I'd told her I'd do, and come dinner, we'd convened again in the grand hall. As expected, Azett and several of his closest advisors sat with King Jurock, Princess Rin, and the rest of the royal court at the king's table, while the rest of us ate at communal tables. I glanced over at Rin a few times, and sure enough, she eventually did find herself in conversation with the king of Kalos. It seemed lively enough.
Azett and his men had no itinerary. Rota was a long way from the sea, and the journey inland had been long enough that none of them were eager to pack up and leave any time soon. King Jurock organized tours of the palace and surrounding lands for them, and I saw little of Azett or Rin over the next week.
One afternoon, I found myself in the gardens picking a bouquet of Rin's favorite blue roses. The sunlight splashed upon the northern courtyard with a brilliance that made me a bit drowsy, but I hadn't had any responsibilities to attend to today, so I was lazing around a bit. It had occurred to me that Rin had been quite a bit busier than usual hosting the Kalosians, so I thought I'd use my time to do something nice for her.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
I turned and saw King Azett standing in the doorway. He wore a simple white tunic with a red headband around his unkempt, long black hair. Far more casual than I'd ever seen him dressed since he'd arrived. His appearance shocked me for a moment. I'd thought he was with King Jurock.
"Of course not," I eventually said. "Actually, I was just on my way out."
"You're Sir Aaron, aren't you?"
Rin, probably.
I nodded. "That's right."
Azett smiled and started to walk closer. Then he paused and frowned. "Do you mind if I release my pokémon?"
I shook my head.
He pulled a pokéball off his belt and released that little flower pokémon from before onto his shoulder. Now that I could see it more closely, it looked like a little pixie, hanging on to a crimson flower.
"Rota has been quite kind to Floette. She can't ordinarily spend this much time outside."
I frowned. "Why is that?"
Azett glanced at me in confusion. "Have you been outside Rota before, Sir Aaron?"
I shook my head. I'd been born in Rota, and joining the royal guard had restricted my freedom quite a bit.
"Most people don't hold such liberal views on pokémon," Azett said. "Especially in Kalos. Where I'm from, pokémon are creatures to be feared, and hated. They are beasts who deserve respect for little more than their violence."
Ah, that's right. Yes, the Guardians were the strange ones. In most of the world, camaraderie between people and pokémon was a completely foreign notion. It was only courteous to ask before releasing one into the world.
Yet, the sight of that flower frolicking about the garden without a care, sniffing on this carnation or that poppy, made me smile. "Are there very many people who fear your Floette, your Majesty?"
Azett smirked and waved his hand. "Please, just call me Azett. But I suppose you're right. Floette looks quite harmless compared to all these Lucario you have walking about. Nearly every one of my men has reported back to me saying they almost had a heart attack after turning a corner and being faced with one."
"Lucario have been partners of the Guardians since time immemorial," I smiled. "But I can see why your men would be afraid."
"The legend of the Guardians, and their pokémon partners was a big reason for why I wanted to make the journey here to begin with. I had to see it with my own eyes, this reality of yours which is unthinkable to us in Kalos."
As unfathomable as it was to me that people abroad could live without pokémon, so too was living alongside pokémon a fantasy to them. Or perhaps, a nightmare. "And so?" I asked, suddenly deathly curious. "What do you think so far?"
The eastern king pondered for a moment, pacing toward me slowly. When his Floette landed on his shoulder once again, he glanced up, and offered his finger to it. "I suppose I stand somewhere in the middle. Pokémon are beasts of carnage, utterly incompatible with humanity… But, perhaps not all of them," he smiled, stroking Floette.
A strange answer. "I can't imagine your subjects appreciate such a middling position on the matter, respectfully."
"No offense taken, and you're exactly right," Azett laughed. "But my countrymen already see me as strange to begin with." His smile faded and he let Floette get back to its flowers. "But, if I have to pick one side or the other, I would side against pokémon."
I glanced at Floette, but perhaps she hadn't heard or understood him, because she didn't even flinch. She simply continued to flit amidst the flowers.
"The Guardians wield a special power that separates you from the rest of humanity. Your king demonstrated for me. It seems to me that your relationship with pokémon is heavily influenced by your possession of that power. In the end, perhaps only the Guardians could ever hope to befriend pokémon as you have." He said it as a matter of fact, but his words were tinged with a resigned sadness.
Azett, the king of the east, had come all this way on a whim. If he left Rota still believing that, to call it a missed opportunity would be an understatement. It would be one of the biggest blunders in Guardian history. Is this not why we existed? To preach the message of coexistence and camaraderie with pokémon? And what better audience to impart such a message to, other than the sovereign of a land full of people who despise pokémon?
"Are you open to having your mind changed?" I asked before giving a second to consider how rude that may have sounded.
Azett smiled, a glint in his eye. "In his graciousness, King Jurock has agreed to host me for at least another month. I look forward to more conversations with you, Sir Aaron."
I smiled, my heart alight. "It would be my honor." I thought for a moment. "Would you like to meet my Lucario?"
"Absolutely."
"And please, just call me Aaron. It wouldn't feel right for me to address you so casually without you doing the same," I said as we began walking deeper into the garden.
True to his word, Azett remained in Rota, and I found myself spending more and more time with him. He sought me out at nearly every break in his schedule, and we talked wherever we happened to be at the time—in the library, the gardens, the lake. I soon learned that Azett was actively canceling appointments with his officers, and even with King Jurock, to continue our conversations. Rin spared no expense in teasing me for it, but she seemed to be a tad jealous.
"After spending so much time with your king and his court, I get the impression that the Guardians are a rather secretive bunch," Azett told me one balmy afternoon. We were resting by a pond in the shadow of the Tree of Beginning. Floette and Lucario had grown quite close and were playing in a copse of reeds nearby.
"Oh, even the secrets have secrets," I said. "There are things about Aura, about the Tree of Beginning, about the world, that are known only to the royalty. Secrets the Guardians have safeguarded for many generations."
"Hmm," Azett said, sitting down on a log. "Truthfully, the east is just the same." He paused, as if considering if he should say what he was about to say. "There are archives beneath the royal keep. Documents, artifacts, even pokémon, abound. Gathered and protected by the Kalos kings of the past. Much of it is worthless, nothing more than meaningless trophies, but there are some things of note down there."
He caught my eye, and his serious gaze demanded my full attention.
"The Age of Carnage that preceded this era…not much is known about it. But my ancestors penned something rather peculiar about it." He hesitated, as if personally doubting the veracity of what he was about to say. "They said that the Age of Carnage would not end until the very strongest pokémon were killed."
I absorbed his words. "I suppose that makes sense, from a certain standpoint."
"Yes, but they weren't referring to just any creatures… They spoke of something higher. They called them Paragons. And they spoke as if the Paragons did not even live on this planet with us… Separate from us, like gods… Or demons."
My eyes narrowed, but Azett wasn't finished.
"Most disturbingly, they wrote that sometimes, those demon gods would descend to our world and do battle just as any other pokémon would. But with their unrivaled power, these pokémon had the power to destroy the world, and already had before, in the distant past."
I frowned. "That can't be possible. We're here, now."
Azett nodded, looking nearly as unconvinced as me. "That's why I said it was peculiar. Apparently, it hasn't only happened once. It's happened many times, for as long as this world has existed."
He looked up at me, a puzzled look on his face. I could tell he'd wanted to confide in someone about this for a while. Perhaps he thought his advisors would laugh at him if he brought it up to them.
"Do the Guardians have a record similar to anything like this?" Azett asked.
I shook my head. "I couldn't say. The records in our library are quite extensive, but I've never read anything like that. Unless those are the secrets kept to the royalty."
Azett nodded in resignation. "I see. Well, I'm not so uncouth that I would ask your king to divulge the secrets of the Guardians. But, if it is related to what I described, I have to wonder why your ancestors believed it was something that should be kept to the royalty."
"One could ask the same of your Kalosian kings," I said, and Azett nodded in agreement.
"Strange," he murmured. He glanced over at me and smirked. "Though I wouldn't mind imposing on you once you become King."
"Me become King?" I snorted. "And what makes you think that would ever happen?"
"Oh, King Jurock speaks very highly of you. One of the most talented Guardians of your generation, and the decision is up to him. As I understand, the Guardians do not have a heritable royal line. It is the strongest Guardian who becomes king, no?"
I opened my mouth to rebut, but he was right. King Jurock showered me with more praise than I would like, but the thought of me becoming King of the Guardians was simply too crazy to entertain.
"Plus," Azett said, his eyes shimmering mischievously. "You and Princess Rin are a bit more than friendly. Your kingship is practically set in stone already!"
"What are you talking about?" I spat, turning away.
Azett laughed at me, so I kicked some water at him, and he fell back off his log. He pulled himself to his feet, laughing even harder, his face as red as a tamato berry. Unfortunately, since he was our guest, and a king in his own right, there was little else I could do in retaliation. Eventually, he calmed himself down, but Lucario and Floette had already returned after hearing his booming laugh.
"When you become king, please do share with me the secrets of the Guardians. Let us unravel the mysteries of the world together."
An enticing proposition, but it was never going to happen. I would never be king.
"How is he?" Rin asked with bated breath.
The room was dark, save for a shaft of sunlight that shined through a window above the king's bed. The nurses surrounding him fiddled with their bottles and bowls, but the princess only had eyes for her father, kneeling at his side, as close to him as the nurses would permit. She clutched his veiny hand tightly, refusing to let go.
I stood in the corner watching, but it took all l had not to join Rin at her side. The anguish of seeing my king in such a state nearly eclipsed the heart-rending pain of seeing Rin have to persevere on her own. Yet, I remained at my station, eyes bolted to the king and his daughter.
"He does not have long…" one of the nurses said softly. "The king's health has been worsening for some time… He is quite old…"
I saw Rin's head sink. She always knew how to keep a queenly front, but inside, I knew she was rotting.
"Father…" she whispered, embracing him.
Now that she had moved, I caught a glimpse of the king. He was gaunt and pale. I had just seen him at dinner yesterday. How could he look so thin?
He swallowed, the skin on his neck trembling, and he wrapped his arm around his daughter as best he could. "Rin…," he rasped. "Where…Where is Sir Aaron?"
I perked up at the sound of my name, and Rin turned back toward me. Her eyes were glassy, yet saturated with emotion. I clenched my teeth to maintain a stoic visage, but my lip twitched.
"He's here, Father," Rin said, raising her hand.
I approached, and before I could withdraw, Rin had grabbed my hand, lacing her fingers into mine and pulling me closer. I cleared my throat. "I am here, my King."
King Jurock's yellowing eyes crawled over me, and he looked me over for a while. Just before I thought he might have lost his wits, he began to shift in his bed.
"My King." The nurses hurried over to placate him, but surprisingly, he batted them away.
"Help me up," he said.
They glanced between each other, but ultimately decided to oblige, and they gathered several pillows to support him, helping him sit up.
Even in his bedclothes and at his lofty age, King Jurock was a tall man. He towered over his kneeling daughter, and was far closer to my eye level than I thought he'd be. The sunlight glinted off his hair, giving it a golden luster akin to its former blond. He studied all gathered before him—his daughter, his nurses, his advisors, and his other royal guards who remained at the sides of the room. And finally, me. Everyone gathered watched him with silent eyes, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Sir Aaron Albrecht," he said. "I hereby proclaim you, on this day, my successor as Sovereign of Rota, Keeper of the Tree of Beginning, and King of the Aura Guardians. Let all gathered here stand as witness to my unailed proclamation," he said, his voice clear. Though he'd caused nearly everyone's jaw in the room to drop, he pressed on. "You are the strongest Guardian to appear in generations, and will be still for generations to come. This I've seen with my kingly eyes."
His gaze pierced through me, and he nodded.
Beside me, Rin clapped her hands over her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. Around me, the others looked at me as if considering whether or not it would be appropriate to kneel. Eventually, one of the king's advisors did, and the others followed. I saw King Jurock smile.
"My King, I couldn't possibly—"
"I will brook no disagreement, King Aaron," Jurock said. "I also give you my blessing for my daughter's hand. Do with said blessing what you two may." He began to lean back in his bed, and the nurses stood and hurried over to help him.
At some point, Rin had hugged me, but I could barely register what was going on around me. My life from five minutes ago was completely unrecognizable from my current reality now. As if Jurock had shed a physical mantle, a tremendous weight seemed to begin pressing down on me as I stood there beside the king's bed. The weight of a king.
As I brought my hand down on Rin's head, I began to hear her sobbing into my chest.
As it turned out, King Jurock was a sturdy man. He did not die that day, or that week, or that month. In fact, he recovered enough to leave his bed again and continue with his royal duties, the latter much to his daughter's chagrin.
"You mean, the Queen's chagrin."
I rolled my eyes.
A month had passed, and for some reason, Azett was still here.
"I could not abandon Rota while its former king was in poor health," Azett said with a noble air.
"He is still the king," I said with annoyance. "And I fail to see how the health of our king affects you. Were you planning to steal off with our country while it's in a vulnerable state?"
"Oh, I would never," Azett grinned. "Challenging the mighty King Aaron and his Guardians would be a death wish."
"A wiser man would consider that angering him might incur a death wish all the same."
Azett grunted in amusement. "Oh, Aaron, you're new to your crown, so I'll counsel you to be more frugal with your threats. One day, you might have to cash them all in." He smiled, a glint in his eyes. "Well, you and I are on the same level now, so I suppose I won't condescend to you too much. We're both kings now."
"Something you have yet to cease reminding me about," I drawled, though I was thankful for his playful teasing. The days past had suddenly gotten a lot busier for me as the king and his court prepared me to take the crown. "King Aaron and King Azett. Perhaps they should write a song," I muttered.
"'King Azett and King Aaron' sounds much better, but I agree. They should write a song."
Those days of sometimes-meaningless-sometimes- meaningful conversation continued for another month or so, during which time we began to plan the wedding. Yes, I properly proposed. But the ceremony was to happen soon after. I think Rin wanted to have it as soon as possible so her father could attend. In any case, we decided to do a much smaller affair down in the town of Rota instead of some extravagant ball within the palace. Far less to prepare, and Rin was never the type to place much value in such fanfare to begin with. I preferred the minimalistic approach as well, so in the end, it worked out.
It was done outside in the town square. Streamers hung between the buildings, and though we'd only sent out a few dozen invites, the citizens of the town turned out in droves, watching our vows from the streets, and hanging out of the windows surrounding the plaza. Rose and sakura petals danced through the air, and the king's orchestra illuminated the entire town with their songs.
Of course, Azett and his men were invited and were in attendance. I don't know how, but he somehow managed to procure a magnificent wedding gift for us despite having never left Rota the entire time. We received gold, clothes, ceremonial swords, and even some pokémon native to Kalos. Rin was absolutely overjoyed, and simply seeing her smile made whatever lengths Azett had gone to worth it.
"This is quite the happy, little festival," Azett said, coming up to stand beside me while the other wedding goers danced about the plaza. "I'm surprised you didn't opt for something more grand."
"This is plenty for us. Rin and I aren't that pretentious."
Azett smirked. "I've seen many of the Queen's friends handing her bouquets and celebrating her marriage with her all day, yet I haven't seen very many people come up to you. Could it be that our poor husband doesn't have any friends to fill a larger ceremony with?"
I smiled, and glanced over at him. "I have one."
Next — Chapter 44 : Return to Kalos
The first person stuff I did completely on a whim. No idea if it works. I feel like I probably didn't take advantage of the POV aspect enough, but again, more on that at the end of the arc.
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Remnants of the Great War [35]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [35]
Chapter 44 : Return to Kalos
Remnants of the Great War Arc [35]
Chapter 44 : Return to Kalos
Princess Rin—no…she was officially Queen Rin now—bowed delicately, her black veil covering her no doubt tear-stained face. "Thank you for coming, your Majesty," she said flatly.
I bowed my head in turn. "Of course. I only wish there was something I could have done."
A faint chuckle escaped from behind her veil. "Please King Azett. No one lives forever, but my father certainly seemed to be getting close. He was proud to have hosted you this past month. The ties between east and west have never been stronger because of your visit."
In truth, I was worried that my extended visit had put undue stress on the late king and perhaps contributed to his failing health, but I decided against speaking it aloud. There was no sense in dampening Queen Rin's already somber mood. "I'm glad he felt that way. That was my hope for this trip. With so much strife across the world, the petty rivalry between our lands must be extinguished, for the sake of all those living today, and those yet unborn."
"I agree," King Aaron said, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her closer.
She leaned closer to him and allowed herself to let her husband take the spotlight. It made me glad to know that she felt comfortable staying a bit unguarded when it was just the three of us.
"I will not let the groundwork laid by King Jurock go to waste," Aaron continued. "Together, Azett, let us bring peace to this world in our lifetime."
I nodded solemnly and extended a thumb between the three of us. "For King Jurock."
Aaron paused, before adding his thumb. "For King Jurock."
We both glanced at Queen Rin, and after a moment, she raised a dainty hand and added her own thumb. "For King Jurock," she croaked.
My attendance at the wake did not last much longer. Aaron and Queen Rin remained to mingle with the many townsfolk in the chapel, but I slipped out earlier to head back to my quarters. Two of my guards peeled away from outside of the chapel once I appeared, folding in beside me.
"Your Grace," one of them began as we walked through the halls of Cameran Palace. "The men are beginning to get restless. I'm not sure they want to stay another month. And with the king passing while we're here…we've already heard whispers from some of the Guardians..."
"Let them whisper," I growled. "It is only their grief talking. King Aaron will not let baseless slander fester for long," I said. For as much time as I spent with Aaron, I could only change the Guardians' perception of the east so much in so little time. It was natural that they mistrusted me. "But I do intend to leave soon. Tell the others to begin packing up. I want to reach Vermillion Town before the weather changes."
"At once, you Grace!"
I could tell my men hadn't even wanted to stay for one month, yet they had kept quiet and persevered for my sake. Even I had seen more Lucario this past month than I ever wanted to. They all had a certain glare that made them look like they would pounce at any moment, which was made all the more unsettling at the fact that they possessed near-human intelligence and could communicate with their Guardian partners silently. And with Aaron now ascending to the throne, I doubted our conversations could continue as before. He now had a country to run.
And I also had my own country to run, and no offense to Aaron, but far more of it. Just recently, we'd taken the Galar Kingdom and Unovan Empire under our wing, and every day I spent in Rota only soured our relations with those two. They'd get tired of talking to my proxies eventually and wonder where the actual king was.
For one of the last times, Aaron and I, joined by Queen Rin, enjoyed a conversation over dinner that night, but as I was gathering my belongings later that night, I began to feel a wistful malaise. Rota was so far, and back home, I had no friends. Only subjects and allies. This trip had given me far more than I'd expected.
Of course, it hadn't given everything. At the end of it all, I still knew nothing more about the Age of Carnage, or the Paragons who cast their shadows over it. Aaron was now king, but I could hardly bother him at a time like this to badger him about divulging the Guardians' secrets, despite what I'd said.
It would have to wait. But perhaps that wasn't the worst thing. It'd mean I was leaving behind a reason to return.
"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" Aaron asked.
Aaron stood dressed as he always had in the entrance hall of Cameran Palace, flanked by a pair of his royal guards, and Queen Rin. Dust swam in the rivers of sunlight that streamed through the mosaic windows, brightening the velvet floor into a field of ruby fire. He wore a resolute look, but his brows were knit tighter than I'd ever seen them before. I tried not to take pride in it.
"Unfortunately so. I must thank you for extending your hospitality for so long, especially under such turbulent circumstances. My condolences again." I bowed, and nodded at Queen Rin, who bowed sadly in turn.
Aaron drank in my reply, before nodding in resignation. "I understand." He extended his hand.
I met his eyes and grasped his hand. A curious warmth spread from his to mine. Power coursed through him—the power of Aura, the life energy of pokémon. It was as if in donning the crown of the Guardians, he had also taken one step away from the rest of humanity. From me.
I tightened my grip on his hand. "Perhaps again someday, I'll invite myself back."
Aaron gave my hand a firm shake. A kingly shake. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. As long as I'm king, you can always call Cameran Palace home." He smiled. "My friend."
I smiled, and took a deep breath. It must be now. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a roll of parchment, sealed with the crimson seal of Kalos. Aaron glanced at it curiously as I offered it to him.
"For you, your Majesty," I said. "I'm sure you have no shortage of duties to attend to, but, eccentric as I may be, I have my own duties as king I must carry out as well. I'm afraid I must insist you consider this, as a matter of state between our two lands."
Aaron rubbed the paper between his fingers before passing it to his wife. He fixed me with a thin smirk. "I have some ideas about what this may be. Very well. I'll speak with my court."
I smiled, then turned to Queen Rin and kissed her hand. "My lady."
Taking one last glance around the royal palace, I exhaled and turned away, joining my men near the enormous wooden entrance doors. This journey had been a blissful reverie, but temporary. Here, it'd been easy to forget about my own crown and throne, and act as a guest in this faraway place. Perhaps I'd been even a little too casual with Aaron, especially now that he was king. Though, I was also a king, and he japed at me all the same.
Ah. It dawned on me as we were crossing the stone viaduct. Floette was dancing on my shoulder and the sun had never felt better on my skin. So this is friendship.
I'd teased Aaron for his quaint wedding, but he'd looked happy, as did Rin. I was unmarried, but I'd been to a few weddings already. The ones back home had been cold and uniform, meant only to tie together houses for political purposes. Those I spoke with there only had an interest in the crown on my head, and the myriad ways that it could benefit them.
In that sense, I felt a bit guilty about handing that offer of an alliance to Aaron. In a way, Rota seemed untainted by the incessant machinations of the east, and here I was trying to rope him in. But what I'd said was still true. As the king of Kalos, it was my duty to make our empire stronger, and safer. An alliance with Rota would undoubtedly be a step in that direction. It just so happened to align with my personal desire, was all.
A couple weeks of southern travel later, we departed from Vermillion Town, our ship hauling into the black abyss of night. I watched as the light of civilization dimmed from the deck the further we got, until we found ourselves alone in the darkness. It would take even longer to return home than the time we'd spent at Rota.
Lucky for us, we were not assailed by any pokémon on the journey, save for a Tentacruel that had latched itself to our hull, and may have climbed up the sides of the ship if not for a trainer we'd hired in town. His Golduck jumped into the sea and harrassed it until it let go. Still, it'd taken a couple days for my men to fully calm down.
Kanto was a rather undeveloped land, nothing like Rota or Kalos. But it did hold a few towns and villages. Kanto was the Land of the Hero, after all. It was from its fertile soil that the First Trainer had been born. I didn't put much stock in myths and legends, especially those concerning humans, but it was easy to tell that said myths and legends had seeped into the very ground of Kanto. There were more trainers here than anywhere else, and unlike most of the world, many of them did not fear pokémon. Perhaps it was the influence of the nearby Rota.
One day on the voyage, I decided to try my hand at pokémon battling like I'd seen that trainer do. He was respectful enough of us that he kept his Golduck and his other pokémon sequestered away in their pokéballs most of the time, but he did release them at night to feed, after many of my men had already gone to sleep. It was just after lunch, and my men were attending to their duties across the ship, so I had some time alone in my cabin. I sat on the floor, leaning against my bed.
"Knock over that stack of books, Floette," I urged, pointing to a stack five high on the desk.
She twirled through the air and sat herself down on them. As expected, they moved not an inch. She turned around and smiled, flitting back toward me.
I smiled and stuck my finger out for her to land on. "Of course not," I muttered. I'd received Floette as a gift from my mother. She'd died when I was young, but from what I'd heard, she had also been strange, like me. Apparently, she hadn't been well liked by many in my father's court. Chief among the reasons why was her love of pokémon. I believe Floette was a dream of hers, foisted upon me, knowing I'd one day be king. Receive this flower, and keep it. And maybe then, if people see you with her, they will begin to see her as we do.
"We," she'd said.
My mother loved pokémon even more than the Guardians did, to the point of obsession, from what I'd heard. Though I enjoyed Floette, I could never bring myself to see pokémon as she had. After spending so much time in the castle, it seemed she'd forgotten what pokémon really were. She saw them as little more harmless than pets or companions. The meek creatures, like Floette, who lived in and around the castle's gardens likely only reinforced that notion.
But it was a false notion. It would have been irresponsible, as king, to think otherwise.
Nevertheless, I'd honored my mother's wishes. But she underestimated our people's hatred of pokémon. And Floette, dainty as she was, was hardly analogous to the monsters they so detested. But, I'd honored her wish. And in the time we'd spent together, I'd grown to care for Floette quite deeply. Perhaps that had been my mother's real wish, all along.
A tall wave passed beneath us and jerked the ship, sending the stack of books sliding off the desk. Floette looked back as they hit the floor. Then, she turned back to me, and grinned proudly.
"What're you smiling at?" I smirked, and got up, picking up the books and stacking them back on the desk. "Let's see you try it again, then."
This time, Floette seemed less interested in obeying. She moved a bit closer to the books, but something else in the air seemed to catch her attention, and she drifted off course. However, a moment later, she shook her head and refocused, before turning back to the books.
She trembled in the air, and I was afraid she was in pain. "Floette," I warned, standing.
But suddenly, a sharp gust of pink wind peeled off from her tiny body and hit the stack of books, sending them thumping into the wall, before scattering to the ground. Now, Floette turned and flew back over, placing herself in the palm of my hand before I could protest.
"Are you alright, your Grace?" one of my guards asked me from without.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said absentmindedly. I cupped Floette in my hand and tried moving her to my shoulder, but she refused to leave, curling up and pressing herself against my skin. She was quite warm to the touch. Warmer than usual.
I walked over and picked up one of the books. As I turned it over, Floette chirped with pride.
She'd burned off the edges of several pages. When I brushed my fingers against their blackened end, they felt even hotter than Floette.
I glanced down at her face and her tiny little body. Even her flower smelled sweeter now. So even you are capable…, I thought.
I brushed her face gently before heading back over to my bed and laying down. Time for a nap. Floette rested on my chest, and I watched her as she drifted off to sleep.
Despite what she'd shown me, I felt no fear at all toward this creature. On the contrary, my affection for her had only grown. I was proud of her.
Proud of her ability to cause danger…?
No, it was something else. But I couldn't put it into words.
Is this what the Guardians feel for their Lucario?
For the umpteenth time since I'd left, I began to think about Aaron again, and the answers he might have.
I wanted to return. Even if for no other reason than to tell him that I understood, however little, why they partnered with pokémon. I couldn't explain it, but I could feel the embers of what must have been burning within the Guardians, smoldering within my chest now.
Hopefully, their response to my proposal would not take long.
A shroud of fog clung to Kalos' coast the morning we arrived within eyesight of home. However, the gleaming lighthouse of Shalour cut through the haze, allowing us to moor safely. A woody scent filled the air, the smell of dew and moist dirt. I was wrapped in a warm wool coat, but my breath curled visibly in front of me.
As my men uploaded the ship, I released Floette. She would disappear for now, off on her own adventures, but I knew she would return. The wilds never messed with fairies, no matter how small, so she was safe on that front.
It took yet another month until we reached the capital. Though we'd sent a missive ahead to inform them of our return, we passed through the intervening towns and villages without delay. Ordinarily, I'd have liked to visit with the local lords and survey the lands, but we simply didn't have the time. The townsfolk knew I was someone important because of the size of our host, and they gathered in droves around us at every stop, yet my men ensured we were not stopped for long. Just a cursory word to the local lord, and we were on our way with a replenishment of provisions.
The capital was called Kalos City, and my home was called Kalos Keep. We passed through the stone walls of the city to much fanfare, the torchlight of civilization basking us in a warmth that, to this day, still filled me with a certain pride. With their own hands, my ancestors had carved their place into this verdant valley. Crystalline rivers ambled through rolling hills, beneath wooden bridges, and through mushy fields of ripened fruits and vegetables. Thatched cottages and cobblestone apartments stretched as far as the eye could see, and already, the smell of smoke and whatever it was cooking filled my nostrils and made my mouth water.
My court seemed to have cracked open our coffers for the occasion, with dyed banners and flags fluttering in the hubbub to welcome us. I waved to my people as we passed through, and they shouted back.
As we passed through a market full of stalls peddling all manner of wares, from garish, woven textiles, to clay pottery that still stunk of earth and dye, to mouth-watering meats and pastries oozing with sugar, a band of children ran in front of our path. As my men shooed them out of the way, one of them caught my eye.
It was a little boy, no older than ten. And yet, where his right ear should've been, there was, instead, a scarred patch of milky white scratches. His hair was short, but it was nonexistent on the right side of his head. He smiled and laughed, chasing after his friends, and his scars crinkled as he ran.
I watched him go, and my mind seemed to whistle as the wind passed through it. I'd been away far too long. None of the Guardians I'd seen bore scars like that. They had the power of Aura. The power to defend themselves. Yet my people did not. It fell upon me, as their king, to protect them. And yet, a child like this had paid the price for my failure.
This. This is what I wanted to end. Black fire burned in my very core. This. I needed to eradicate it.
"Your Grace?" One of my men turned to me curiously.
I glanced at him, and began walking again soon after. "It's nothing."
But even as we began to walk again, I still couldn't get the sight of the boy's mangled head out of my mind. Without a doubt, it had been caused by a pokémon. I had to make a conscious effort not to slow my gait as guilt crept forth within me.
How would this boy take to an alliance with the Guardians, who let their pokémon walk out in the open with impunity? How would his parents? How would the rest of my people, for that matter? I was suddenly overcome with an awful sense of dread. I had offered the alliance to Aaron personally precisely because the idea was mine and mine alone. Another of my whims. But was this a step too far? Was Kalos ready to embrace pokémon?
Before long, mired in my thoughts, we passed within the walls of the royal keep. The majestic fortress scratched the heavens with its imperial turrets and towering belfry. Huge stone arches curved over the manicured front lawn and an elaborate fountain spewed crystal water into the pond surrounding it.
It was midday when we finally stepped foot back within the Kalos Keep. Officials, officers, and dignitaries swarmed us instantly, alongside chefs. Yes, chefs. A grand feast had been prepared as well.
I muscled through the crowd, asserting as much authority as I could. My vacation had lasted plenty long enough. I had a mind for duty now. "Send the feast down to town, I have no time right now!" I roared. "Summon the court, and have them meet in my chambers! We'll take our lunch there, and our supper, I imagine."
As they scrambled to take care of my orders, I hurried ahead to change and prepare for the meeting. At this point, I'd been gone for nearly a year. There didn't seem to be anything overly harrowing to attend to, but a year was a long time, and I needed an update immediately. After changing into a velvet shirt and leather greaves, I headed to my chambers.
About twenty minutes later, I found myself gathered at a round wooden table at the top of one of the towers, a map of Kalos already laid out before me. The twenty or so men seated with me stayed silent as I flicked through the many reports stacked before me, sipping a goblet of dark wine as I did.
"Well then, gentlemen. What should I know first?" I finally said.
The captain of the border defense raised his hand. "Your Grace. There was an incursion three months ago. Five Pyroar breached the southern wall near Santalune." His mouth became a thin line. "Twenty-five dead. Eighteen soldiers and seven civilians. Fifty-nine more injured. We routed them and repaired the breach, but not before they torched half of our fields in the city."
I closed my eyes and cursed silently. We had a surplus of grain for now, and Santalune wasn't one of our big producers, yet we'd surely feel the true sting of this attack come winter. But more importantly, the families of those lost must have wondered where I'd been during such a tragedy. "I'll visit the families before week's end."
"No need to trouble yourself, your Grace, we compensated them handsomely and they were quite thankful, so—"
"Quiet. Open my schedule and organize a trip." I nodded at the minister across from me, and he penned it. "What else?"
The finance minister raised his hand. "Your Grace. Our mining operation beneath the capital continues to grow, and the harvest this past spring was larger than expected. Our presence on the southern continent is expanding, so much so that the colonies have begun requesting increased investment. Their request is well within our budget, but I elected to defer their request until your return."
"Excellent news. Have them draft a proposal and I'll review it the moment it reaches my desk."
The finance minister nodded and took his notes.
Finally, the prime minister raised his hand. As expected, he looked the most exhausted of the lot, and I felt a twinge of guilt. I could imagine what he was about to speak about.
"Your Grace. An envoy from Galar is currently staying in the city, but they are…displeased with your extended absence. They have politely threatened on multiple occasions to withdraw from our arrangement."
"Politely threatened," I muttered. "Is it the king?"
"At one point in time," he nodded. "But his Majesty has since returned home. Only his diplomats remain now."
I shook my head. I only had myself to blame. "He was always a testy man. Very well. I'll have dinner with his men tomorrow evening. Hopefully it's not too late to salvage this relationship. What about Unova?"
"We receive letters from Lord Harmonia often. He waxes on about the stresses of government and assures us endlessly that he'll wait as long as he needs to for your return."
I nodded, lacing my fingers together and resting my head on my hands. "Let's send him a gift as thanks for his patience." Lord Harmonia was limitlessly accommodating and very easy to work with. Almost too easy.
As the prime minister jotted down my instructions, I bit my lip and glanced around the table. "I apologize in advance for assigning even more to you all, but while I was in Rota, I elected to extend an invitation for an alliance to the Guardians as well."
My court knew better than to make a scene, but I could feel the heat from their unease emanating across the table as they glanced between each other.
"We heard of King Jurock's death," one of my generals said. "Surely not the work of our…?"
"Of course not!" I snapped. "Do you think I would stoop as low as assassination?" He recoiled respectfully, but I understood his concern. Rota and Kalos were not friends, and never had been. In the realm of statecraft, that meant we were enemies. And regicide was common enough in these trying times. "I spoke with his successor King Aaron quite a bit. He seems a good man. I'd like to bring him into the fold."
A frosty silence settled over the table. No words were spoken, but I could tell what they were thinking. Ah, here he goes again. Another one of his ridiculous ideas. It wasn't the first time I'd introduced an unorthodox proposal, and, truth be told, it probably wouldn't be the last.
"Well, if you gave them an invitation, then I suppose all we can do now is wait for their reply," my prime minister eventually said. Very diplomatic, as usual.
I decided not to press the issue further because, at the end of the day, it was out of our hands now. I'd already issued the invitation.
The rest of the day was spent in exactly the same way. My men continued to inform me of the goings on within and without Kalos, and I issued directives as needed. Much time was also devoted to an account of my entire journey, culminating in my trip to Rota. I left out the details of my many conversations with Aaron, but tried to impress upon them the nobility of his character. Whether or not my words resonated, unfortunately, I could not say.
Far past midnight, I finally retired to my room, and collapsed into my own bed. When I woke up, Floette was there to greet me.
Several months later, a strange man arrived at the keep hoping to speak with me. I'd been taking care of menial tasks in my chambers, and, looking to distract myself from the monotonous work, I allowed him an audience.
When my guards opened the door and let him in, I immediately recognized his attire. He wore the navy coat and pointed cap of the Guardians. He swept inside and knelt before me, splaying his coat across the floor with a dramatic flair.
"A Guardian," I said. "Rise."
He stood and locked eyes with me. His black eyes seemed to lack light. "Thank you for permitting me, your Grace. I am Zagreus, and I come with some rather troubling news about Sir Aaron."
My eyes narrowed. "Surely you mean King Aaron, Sir Zagreus?"
Realizing his misstep, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ah, Sir Aaron rather mislikes his crown. He prefers a more casual address."
My eyes narrowed. Though I can empathize with the sentiment, no Guardian I met within that palace would ever grant that request. They respect him far too much. Who is this man who speaks of Aaron so callously? I stood from my desk and began walking around it. "You don't seem to be a messenger sent on Aaron's behalf, so what brings you this far east, Guardian?"
Zagreus didn't flinch at my approach. He simply rolled his head on his neck as I approached, his eyes never leaving mine. "You're right that I don't represent him. But as I said, troubling news from the good king." He licked his lips in thought. "Sir Aaron, even more than his predecessors, adores pokémon. With the death of King Jurock, he has begun to change the Guardians. He wishes us not just to coexist with pokémon, but to love them. And this he wishes not just for the Guardians, but for all of mankind."
"Is this the troubling news you came all this way to report?" I said, barely keeping a sneer off my face. "Aaron is a Guardian. That falls well within his creed. Not to mention, he'd told me as much, and more, whilst I was there." I could sense that this man did not like Aaron. Something about his presence was rather slimy.
Zagreus stepped away from me and walked toward my chamber's balcony overlooking the city below. One did not usually walk away from me without license, but my curiosity outweighed my distaste for his rudeness, and I let it slide.
"The troubling news is that Sir Aaron has begun to act on his archaic dream. In the month following his coronation, he'd been mired in procedural work related to his unexpected crowning. But he has since begun to make substantive decrees as king." He turned toward me. "First among them was the rejection of your offer for an alliance."
I smiled, unamused. "If you do not represent Aaron, then why should I believe a word of what you say concerning the decisions of Rota's government?"
"Oh, it's not a matter of belief, your Grace," Zagreus said, clutching his chest. "Of course, officially, Rota has yet to reply to your offer. But I've overheard their council meetings. They don't believe they could ever align with Kalos, a land they believe to be steeped in hatred toward pokémon." He frowned and rubbed his fingers. "The truth is, they intend to destroy Kalos."
"Nonsense," I spat. "And I'll hear no more slander about Aaron or his adminis—"
"Have you ever heard of the Plates of Arceus, your Grace?" Zagreus suddenly asked, his gaze so sharp he was nearly glaring at me.
I was certainly glaring at him, however. I'd been seconds away from tossing him out. "No," I said curtly.
"Of course not," Zagreus said, glancing away. "The existence of the Plates is a secret the Guardians have kept for many years. Even I just learned of them recently." He paced back inside. "As you may know, Arceus is a deity venerated in the north. But, it has another name, another epithet. It is also the so-called king of the Paragons."
I frowned. "What did you just say?"
Zagreus nodded. "Yes, the king of the Paragons. The strongest pokémon of them all. And its Plates are said to be the shards of its very soul, each one containing a facet of its depthless power."
Aaron never mentioned the Plates in our conversations. Perhaps he didn't know about them. "And what does this have to do with your obscene claim that Sir Aaron intends to destroy Rota?" I growled. "Choose your next words very carefully, Sir Zagreus."
The man dipped his head and held his palms up respectfully. "Your Grace. The Plates of Arceus have the power to do exactly what I described. And as it happens, one of them has appeared in Kalos. The Guardians desire the Plates for themselves, and they fear you possessing it. That is why I hurried here as fast as I could. Forgive my impertinence, but it is imperative that your Grace obtains this Plate before the Guardians. If you do not, it could very well spell the end of Kalos."
I shook my head, anger smoldering in my chest. "You expect me to listen to your fairy tales? Run back to your king, Guardian. I'll not have you sully my halls with your drivel any longer." Any more, and I fully intended on imprisoning him for the Guardians to come collect. The only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that he was a Guardian. With his Aura, there wasn't a prison cell on this continent that could hold him.
Zagreus bowed in resignation. "I understand how ridiculous it sounds. But if I could say one last thing, your Grace. The Guardians fear the Plates not just because of their power, but because in the proper hands, they can be used to do anything." He glanced up at me one last time. "Anything. Including defeating the Paragons." He strode over to the door and pulled it open. "I apologize for any disrespect I may have caused. I felt it was only right that I pass this warning to you. If you're interested, I'll leave further details here." He reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, before placing it softly on the floor just beside the door. After bowing one more time, he left.
After he closed the door behind him, I stayed standing in place for a while. I regretted allowing such a man to speak to me. His claims about Aaron and the Guardians were patently absurd. But about the Plates…
Even if they are real, and Aaron knew about them, I'm sure he has a good reason for not telling me about them. At the very least, these Plates sound far too good to be true. Artifacts that can do anything? Ridiculous.
Nevertheless, I walked over, picked up the envelope, and ripped it open. Inside was a crude map of Kalos, with a marker in the forests of northern Kalos.
I scowled. I was going up there just tomorrow to sup with the mayors of all the northern villages.
They can be used to do anything, he'd said.
Well, it can't hurt to take a look.
A few weeks later, I arrived in northern Kalos. The weather was temperate, and the air smelled of ice. Here, just beyond the border wall, pokémon lived in droves. I'd been here once before, and it was here that I'd caught my Goodra. It was a fearsome beast now, but it'd only been a sluggish Goomy back then. Left behind by its pod, only a sudden sense of moral responsibility had led me to capturing the dopey creature. My men disapproved, knowing what it would one day grow up into, but Floette's mere presence instilled the fear of death in the thing, so I hadn't ever been too worried.
The meeting with the northern lords went off without a hitch, and on the night just before we were due to depart back south, I remembered Zagreus, and the map he'd left me.
Taking a pair of guards with me, we entered the forest after dark. This far north, the stars above illuminated our path even through the trees, whose leaves seemed to glisten silver in the moonlight. The map wasn't detailed at all, so my expectations weren't high. Perhaps if I'd let Zagreus speak longer, he could've given me more information. But the fact that he'd already had this map prepared suggested the contrary. If nothing else, this night was pleasant, and this walk would allow me to burn off a bit of that feast I'd stuffed myself with.
We walked in silence. But after some time, I found myself in front of a certain tree, and I stopped. I glanced back down at the map, but of course, I had no idea how close to the marker we were or not. Nonetheless, I'd stopped before this tree, with its gnarled branches and lichen-laden trunk, which looked no different from any of the others around it.
"Your Grace?" one of my guards said.
I reached my hand out. My eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary, but I saw that tree limned in light. A heavy light that pierced the ethereal darkness.
When my fingertips touched the surface of the bark, the entire world seared white, and I could no longer tell if I was alive or dead.
I woke up on the forest floor, my eyes drinking in the glistening mosaic of stars and leaves above. A breeze caressed my face, and the ground felt cold beneath me. I could feel my chest rise and fall as I inhaled each breath, and exhaled. It was quiet here. Peaceful.
Sitting up, I noticed my guards had collapsed as well, though I could see them breathing. I slowly stood and glanced around.
All the trees around me looked the same again. None of them looked like that one I'd seen, ringed in destiny. Thinking back now, had it even looked different from the others? Something else had drawn my attention to it. Something beyond my human ken.
Holding up my hand, I studied the fingers that had rested upon that tree, but they seemed no different. I clenched and unclenched my fist.
"Sir Zagreus," I murmured.
Next — Chapter 45 : Decaying Peace
I actually had this chapter completely finished last weekend, I just had no time to revise it. Also, I finished the ER DLC, so I can't use that as an excuse going forward.
Remnants of the Great War [36]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [36]
Chapter 45 : Decaying Peace
Kalos Region - Laverre Forest
The moonlight wafted and curled around King Azett in a somber froth. Within the shadows of the darkened forest, amidst the tangled web of wooden branches, he alone stood illuminated. The grass at his feet looked teal in the liquid moonlight, and he rose to his full height, wearing the white majesty of the night like a cloak.
Glancing down at his fallen men, he stalked over to them slowly. His entire form brimmed with power, yet he didn't notice it. Not yet. He knelt and checked their pulses. They were alive, and by all appearances, they seemed unharmed.
But what about me?
The overwhelming stimulation from before had already subsided, and now, he didn't feel even a bit of pain anywhere in his body.
Clearly, something had happened here. Sir Zagreus said there was a Plate of Arceus. Azett hadn't expected to find anything, but now, his men were asleep on the ground, and he had found something.
"Your Grace!"
A throng of men forced their way through the trees, pokéballs in hand, spreading out protectively around their king.
"Are you alright, your Grace?" one of them said. "We saw a flash, like lightning!"
Azett glanced around at them. Looks of alarm adorned every one of their faces, which only confirmed to him the reality of what had just happened. "At ease. I'm fine. Get these two back to town so they can be looked at."
As some of his men obliged his order, another stepped closer to him. "Your Grace…what happened?"
Azett exhaled and started back to town himself.
"Your Grace?"
"I'd like to know that myself. Find the man called Zagreus immediately. And bring him to the capital."
The journey home was quiet and uneventful. The two guards who'd been knocked unconscious woke without injury, and although they apologized profusely for failing to protect their king, King Azett cast no blame on them. However, he also refused to speak of what had happened.
If that truly was a Plate of Arceus, then I, like the Guardians, will keep its existence a secret until I speak with Sir Zagreus. Shifty he may be, but he is the only one I can confide in on this matter. At the very least, he was right about this.
Luckily, due to missives they'd sent ahead, Zagreus was already waiting for them back at the capital when they arrived. Apparently, he'd never even left, having anticipated he'd be summoned.
Upon arriving home, Azett ordered a private meeting with him immediately, which they took in his solar over an afternoon feast.
"I apologize again for any disrespect caused before," Zagreus said as he sucked on a bone noisily. "But, now you see the truth of my words."
Azett leaned back in his seat and glanced outside as he licked the food from his teeth. "Kalos' destruction, eh?" he muttered. He shook his head. "No, I still don't believe that at all. Treacherous you may be, but a Guardian all the same. And I know you Guardians know things that only you know. So tell me more about these Plates."
Zagreus nodded in submission. "Of course." He pointed his knife at the king. "You are now what we refer to as a 'Platebearer.' One of Arceus' chosen. The Plate you found rests within you."
Azett lifted a hand to his chest. "Within me…?"
"Throughout history, certain figures, often those of great import like kings and heroes, have borne the Plates of Arceus. As of now, your destiny has become intertwined with that of the god Arceus."
"The king of the Paragons, you called it," Azett frowned. "The truth is, my own royal predecessors wrote of the Paragons. For now, your words align. Tell me, what is the nature of these divine beasts? Is it true that the Age of Carnage will not truly end until those creatures are destroyed?"
Zagreus shifted in his seat. "Your Grace. For me to answer that question, I would have to betray my King Aaron. Your question touches on the secrets kept within Guardian royalty. Although I would not deny you the knowledge necessary to save your kingdom, I do not mean to offend you further by disgracing your friendship with my king."
Azett pondered his words, tapping the table absentmindedly. The destruction of Kalos… The destruction of the entire world… Eventually, he swept his hand aside in resignation. "You have already betrayed your king by sharing this knowledge with me. Tell me."
The Guardian nodded respectfully. "Your Grace, the Paragons are pokémon not entirely dissimilar from those told of in legends across this land of Kalos. The stag of life, Xerneas, and the crow of death, Yveltal. Legendary pokémon. They are creatures of unparalleled power, incomparable to the multitudes that prowl the world now. However, the Paragons are in a completely separate category of their own. The Paragons, in turn, are incomparable even to the legendaries. If Xerneas and Yveltal are strong enough to be venerated as deities, then the Paragons are creatures of such limitless power, that it is no exaggeration to say that the very flow and fabric of reality is written by their every movement and breath."
Azett's frown deepened. "And with such power, their battles result in the decimation of our world."
"Indeed," Zagreus nodded. "Like the Plates, it is, perhaps, understandable why the Guardians would keep this information to themselves. Most people can barely tolerate living alongside even the weakest of pokémon. Spilling these secrets about the Paragons would extinguish any chance of the Guardians' dream of coexistence coming true. If they knew just how far out of their hands their own lives are…"
Azett scowled, placing his utensils down. "Are you saying that everything I've built, everything my ancestors have built…this kingdom to protect humanity from the dangers of this world…all of it will vanish if the Paragons descend?"
Zagreus exhaled and nodded. "According to the royal chronicles, that is what has happened before. I confess my crimes only because, like you, I could not fathom such an unacceptable future. I cannot forgive my fellow Guardians for keeping these secrets, despite the effect they might have on the human consciousness." He rubbed his hands. "Most egregious, however, is that they know of a way to stop the Paragons."
Azett looked up. "What is it?"
Zagreus pointed at him. "The Plates, your Grace. Little is known about the rises and falls of our civilizations across time, but we do know one thing. Shortly before certain annihilation, the Plates begin to populate this world in greater numbers, as if seeking bearers."
Azett sat motionless in his seat, his head spinning. "And yet annihilation arrived all the same, Plates or otherwise. Are you saying the Guardians simply stood by and let humanity perish again and again despite knowing a way to prevent it?"
"The Guardians believe that they alone possess the responsibility to bear the Plates. They don't trust the rest of humanity with such powers, so much so that they could sooner raze a country like Kalos to the ground before letting a Plate fall into the hands of non-Guardians. Like Aura, they desire to keep the power of the Plates to themselves," he spat. "Is it any wonder that they have never been capable of stopping the Paragons? As if one single order could ever hope to challenge the gods."
Azett sat in silence. This doesn't sound like the Guardians I met at all. And yet the Plates are real. "Aaron would never," he said firmly. "Rin would never."
"Wouldn't they? What if I told you that right now, King Aaron is not in Rota? That he has left his country behind in search of the Plates, knowing that the arrival of the Paragons is near at hand?" Zagreus tapped his temple. "No matter what façade he and Jurock showed you, the Guardian royalty has always been the same. Do they wish to save humanity? I do not doubt that they do. But the preservation of their order from the Paragons' destruction has always taken priority."
The Paragons' destruction, Azett repeated in his mind. That part agreed with the texts he'd read in Kalos Keep's vaults too. A dark silt was settling over his heart as his head was forcibly turned toward the world's black reality. "Just how many lives and civilizations do we sit atop now, after they were burned to ash by the Paragons?" he murmured. "Everything I've worked toward… I've tried to turn my lands into a utopia my ancestors…no, all of humanity, could be proud of." He clenched his fist. "Are humans truly so weak that even now, we must rely on the shards of some god pokémon just to stand a fighting chance?"
"The weight of such a burden is not easy to bear, even with the power of a Plate," Zagreus said, his voice dark. "You may be a Platebearer, but unfortunately, I cannot tell you much beyond that. Each of Arceus' eighteen Plates grants a different gift, and only you can probe your own body and soul to learn which it is."
Azett opened and closed his fist, but he felt nothing extraordinary. He shook his head in frustration. "So, what about the other Plates? And how did you locate this one?" He frowned, then glared at Zagreus. "Why not claim its power for yourself?"
Zagreus pursed his lips and pulled off his glove. Azett grimaced.
His hand was charred black, mottled and rough. "I have no shame in admitting I tried. Alongside the ancient wisdom kept by the royalty of Rota was also a certain Guardian technique to heighten one's awareness to the Plates. That is how I found it. As I approached Kalos City, I felt its power and rerouted north. But…this was the result. In the end, I was not strong enough to bear Arceus' soul."
Azett almost lashed out at him for not telling him about this potential outcome, but he no longer had the energy to devote to something so petty. Not after learning about what was coming. And, in the end, the Plate hadn't rejected him. What was done was done.
"I've no doubt there are other Plates that have already begun to appear in other parts of the world," Zagreus continued. "Likely, some will be discovered, and others shall become Platebearers like you. The Guardians will not seize them all."
"What does it matter?" Azett spat. "Even with your knowledge, I alone don't know where to start. How does one even begin to combat the destruction of the Paragons?" He sighed and rubbed his face. "This is a conversation I should be having with your king."
"I will not pretend to understand what you're experiencing now. But I have no doubt the Platebearers of times past were faced with the exact same dilemma."
Azett closed his eyes and tried to zoom out to view the whole thing objectively. He considered Aaron and Rota, Kalos and his own people, as well as those across the world in foreign lands. He thought about the dormant power within him, the ancient scrawlings of his predecessors, and the grand archives of the Guardians. Lastly, he thought of pokémon. From his beloved Floette, to the bloodthirsty monsters that plagued his kingdom, and then to the deities called Paragons.
And at the end of it all, he came back to a single conclusion.
"Aaron… I must speak to Aaron…"
Zagreus shifted in his seat. "If you doubt the veracity of anything I've said, watch closely for letters from Rota. I think you'll find that, in King Aaron's absence, your correspondence with them will quickly dry up. And with it, your offer of an alliance as well."
Candles flickered on the table between them, flames danced within sconces along the walls of his office, and sunlight poured in from the open balcony, and yet, King Azett felt a smothering darkness closing in around him. To bear a Plate also meant bearing the responsibility of saving humanity. That burden was heavy enough, and it was one he'd saddled himself with years ago when he donned the crown of his forefathers. The far heavier weight, the unbearable weight, was that of the futility of his struggle. Everything…everything… Was it all for nothing? When the Paragons arrive, everything will return to zero? And the Guardians are somehow complicit? There must be some mistake…
But even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true. He'd been a king plenty long enough to determine what hopes were worth clinging to, and what was simply wishful thinking. Perhaps I've known of this world's destiny from the start. From the very first time I laid eyes upon those ancient notes. I simply averted my gaze from reality. Pouring myself into hollow salvations. A utopia? Did I ever truly think such a thing was possible, or was I just distracting myself from facing the inevitable future?
"Thank you, Sir, you may leave now," he said quietly.
Azett felt his stomach contract and expand with every breath, his tired ribs creaking, his exhausted muscles aching. The sound of Zagreus' farewell and the door closing behind him fell on deaf ears. For a while, he remained motionless. Dread snaked its way down his throat, suffocating him, and before he knew it, his cheeks were hot with tears.
Please, God. Arceus. Aaron. Anyone. Show me what lies ahead.
In an instant, color, light, and sound whipped past King Azett until nothing but void remained.
And the vision that assaulted him next was one of death and decimation. And dragons.
Land of Rota, one year later
"Welcome home, my King."
"Have you all forgotten? I told you to address me as usual," Sir Aaron said as he swept through the entrance hall, surrounded by his many advisors.
Nearly a year had passed since he set out on his journey, and in that time, he had truly come to know the world. Beyond the stifling borders of Rota, Sir Aaron had borne witness to sights and sensations he'd never experienced before. From the icy highlands of the north, to the tropical swamps of the south, and the regal plains of the east, he had learned and learned again just how wondrous this world was. With the lens of fear that clouded the sight of so many lowered from his eyes, he had truly come to appreciate the love-filled ideals set forth by his ancestors. Above all else, he held one certain feeling deep within his heart.
This world is worth fighting for.
Ah, and the pokémon, too! So many species he'd seen, many of them never even described in the Guardians' archives. Every new encounter brought a different emotion out of him, from joy and endearment, to disgust, and indeed, fear. They were awesome creatures, after all, and no two were alike. He'd caught all that had caught his eye.
Although he traveled anonymously, with Lucario at his side, those who knew of the Guardians identified him as one immediately, and more often than not, they came to him humbly with requests for help, usually repelling some wild pokémon or another. But in turn, they gifted him with stories about their lives and lands, more valuable to him than any sum of money.
Aaron took a certain pride in following in Azett's footsteps. Like the eastern king, he too would use his journey to become an even better leader for the Guardians.
But perhaps the most intriguing part of his journey was his discovery of certain artifacts. One of the secrets of the Guardian royalty he'd learned after donning the crown was the existence of the Plates of Arceus. Three of them, he'd found, scattered across the world. He'd been drawn to them, by some inexplicable force. But after finding them, they had bonded themselves to him, burying themselves within him alongside his very soul.
He was a Platebearer now. One of the chosen few graced with a shard of Arceus' divine power.
Luckily, the Guardian kings of the past had written to him about exactly this. A message from across the millennia.
"Have you sent a reply back to Kalos about their offer for an alliance," Aaron asked as they walked through the halls of the palace.
His advisors shifted uncomfortably.
"We have not yet," one of them spoke up. "We elected to wait for your return so that you could have the final say. Perhaps you've heard of the troubling news coming from the east?"
Aaron frowned. "No. What's going on?" His journey had left him sorely out of the loop on current events, and even though he'd visited Kalos, he'd made a point not to head too far inland, lest he attract the attention of the capital. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a diplomatic mess for Azett.
"Kalos has increased the pace of their industrialization, and the size of their armies have swelled. Our scouts say they appear to have shifted to a wartime economy, though no such conflict seems to exist. They're building up their military and navy, and they've become far more aggressive about securing their borders from wild pokémon. The latest report cited a number of no fewer than a hundred pokémon killed in a single month."
"A hundred…," Aaron repeated, in disbelief. "How is that possible? Their bodies are so tough… It's hard enough just to kill one, even with the power of Aura."
"They've developed new weapons, it seems. Or somehow learned of a weakness, we're not sure. Many Guardians are appalled by their actions, but we've been able to keep them in line, for now."
Aaron shook his head. "This is violent, even for them. But beyond that, they're advancing abnormally quickly. I've never heard of anything like it." Suddenly, his eyes widened. Could it be? He looked down and opened his hand. Has someone in Kalos discovered a Plate?
"The speed at which they're developing is truly extraordinary," his advisor agreed. "Their alliances with Unova and Galar appear to be finalized now as well, and both lands have undertaken similar agendas. Additionally, the latest reports say that the pokémon that aren't killed are captured instead. It seems King Azett means to well and truly end his pokémon problem, both at home, and in the lands of his allies. By now, he must have amassed hundreds of pokémon."
As their group rounded a corner, they came to a stop in front of a set of tall oak doors that served as the entrance to King Aaron's chambers. Two royal Guardians stood without.
"We will discuss this further later," Aaron said curtly. "For now, I must greet my wife. In the meantime, please prepare a ship for me. I intend to sail east as soon as possible."
His many advisors nodded respectfully and shuffled away. Once they were gone, he nodded to the guards and pushed open the doors to his room.
Within, beyond the heavy drapes over his royal bed, sat the silhouette of Queen Rin, nestled in the darkness by the window. At the sound of the door opening, she immediately turned and stood. Her golden hair fluttered as she raced over and embraced her husband.
"I'm home," Aaron said wistfully.
"After too long," Rin said, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder. Withdrawing, she took a step back and glanced him up and down. "You've done it. You achieved the true purpose of your journey."
Aaron shook his head. "Hardly. I only found three. Not even close to all of them."
"Oh, Aaron, you demand too much of yourself… Three of Arceus' Plates…no Guardian has borne so many in all of our history."
"But it still isn't enough," Aaron sighed, pacing over and sitting on the edge of his bed. "I cannot stop the Paragons with so few…" He looked up at his wife. "And I cannot go to Azett with any false hope. He, who desires peace more than anyone."
At the mention of the eastern king's name, Rin's expression darkened. "You should have seen him whilst you were there."
"I couldn't," Aaron said after a long silence. "How could I face him after learning about this world's destiny? The Paragons? The cycle of war and peace? It is far worse than he ever thought. The utopia he desires will never be eternal, so long as that ancient war persists."
"His actions suggest he's somehow learned of our fate all the same," Rin said quietly. "Do you think he's found a Plate?"
So she suspects the same. "I'm sorry, Rin. I have to leave again. I must go to Kalos."
The Queen paced over and sat down beside him. She grasped his hands and squeezed them tightly, locking eyes with him. "Go. Help your friend. Only together….only together could you hope to save this world."
Aaron smiled and stroked her hand with his thumb.
The next day, Sir Aaron received word that the Kalosian Empire, at the behest of King Azett, had murdered one hundred thousand pokémon.
Next — Chapter 46 : The Great War
Apologies for the delay. On top of being extremely busy this past month, I found this chapter very difficult to write. I had to ponder on it quite a bit. Lots of rewriting and rereading to make sure I was catching everything. Also, structuring dialogue is hard for me, and there's a lot of that in this chapter.
Honestly, for this exact reason, I probably should've gotten a beta reader a long time ago. I don't know if getting one is even feasible now that we're over 200,000 words :/
Remnants of the Great War [37]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [37]
Chapter 46 : The Great War
"Your Grace, our men are working as fast as they can, but it simply isn't possible to—"
"I don't care!" King Azett snarled, his eyes bloodshot. "The army's size has doubled, and every soldier needs a set of armor and weapons! Do not fail me, minister. Think of your children, no, think of your children's children. If you do not want their future to be swallowed in unparalleled desolation, you will carry out your orders as instructed."
His minister wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and nodded weakly, before scurrying away.
Azett slumped back in his throne. The iron crown on his head sat heavy, the weight of his duties threatening to crush him, yet he kept his head aloft. Failure was unacceptable.
This effort had started around six months ago, when Azett glimpsed a vision of the future. The arrival of the so-called 'Paragons, and what came after. The return of the Age of Carnage… Whilst I draw breath, that reality will never again defile this world with its depravity.
Toward that end, Azett had turned Kalos into a true empire, expanding its armies, doubling the production of grain, and forging weapons to crush any hint of pokémon activity within his territory.
But most importantly, he'd begun work on a secret weapon. An ultimate weapon, the designs of which had been enlightened upon him by Arceus' Plate. In the intervening time since he'd become a Platebearer, he'd learned much about what it could offer him. When he demanded an answer from it, it provided. And when he'd demanded a weapon that could fell the Paragons, the blueprints of that machine had been etched upon his mind dutifully. His hands had moved across the parchment nearly autonomously, as he sketched out the design revealed to him. When he handed them to his engineers and ordered them to build it, they looked at him in abject confusion, not even knowing what it was they were looking at. But how could they? This was wisdom imparted to him directly from the creature that had designed the very universe, according to Zagreus. And that wasn't the only knowledge that man had enlightened him to…
When the Paragons came, he would be ready.
The air in the throne room seemed dark and crimson, as did the rest of Kalos. Where once, laughter and mirth had filled its cobbled halls, now, only the iron conviction held by its king remained. The half-assed 'utopia' from before did not exist anymore. Now, all citizens of Kalos were expected to contribute to Azett's grand mission. He was well aware of the cost, but it was a trifling concern compared to the threat of the Paragons.
Even Floette had vanished about a week ago, shortly after Azett had issued the order to cull the many pokémon gathered to fuel his ultimate weapon. She normally came and went as she pleased, but her absence this time was noticeably longer. For some reason, even the Fairy Plate, as he'd learned it was, did not reveal her whereabouts to him. But, her disappearance was an easily forgettable matter with everything else at hand. Surely she'd reappear soon.
The doors to the esteemed throne room burst open. Everyone gathered turned toward the sound of the doors slamming against the stone walls, and one of his messengers pushed his way between them impatiently, before kneeling before Azett.
Azett frowned upon noticing the urgency of his messenger. His skin was slick with sweat and he was visibly shaking. His guards moved to intercept the man, but Azett put his hand up. "Fetch him a flask of water."
Once it was brought, the man drank it down greedily, emptying the flask in mere seconds. After catching his breath he turned to his king once more.
"Speak," Azett ordered.
The man swallowed. "W-War, your Grace. T-The Guardians of Rota…have declared war!"
"What?!" one of the ministers shouted.
"So they finally show their hand!"
"Those despicable Guardians! After his Grace visited them personally!"
"Silence!" Azett boomed. "What is the rest of the report?"
"Guardians in the southern lands launched an attack on our outposts! They set the pokémon free and burned our ships! As I speak, a host of mounted flyers are on their way to Kalos now from across the sea!"
Disturbed murmurings erupted through the throne room. Notably, the military generals seemed to steel themselves, preparing for conflict.
"It is as I said," a voice came from behind Azett. "They mean to destroy you."
Azett turned just as Sir Zagreus stepped out from the shadows.
"They fear Kalos' strength!" Zagreus proclaimed to the whole room. "If they cannot possess supremacy in this world, then no one shall!"
The gathered officials paused their panic to listen to the Guardian. They glared at him. They never did trust him, and disliked how close he'd gotten to their king. Yet he was proving his loyalty now. Their eyes shifted to their king, awaiting orders.
Rage burned in the Kalosian king's eyes. Aaron… Do you truly mean to force your wretched dream on the entire world? On me?
He rose to his feet and stepped down the steps to his throne slowly. "Rota flies toward us, intent on killing us. They have betrayed me, and allowed themselves to be led astray by illusions of power and dreams of unity." He clenched his fist before him. "Kalosians! We have prepared for this day! Our army is larger than any other, and our fleet is unparalleled! Deploy the armada to intercept these Guardians who would sooner defend monsters over their fellow man! Send word to Unova and Galar to muster themselves for war!"
A cacophonous battlecry rang throughout the throne room, before generals and ministers both began rushing this way and that to carry out their new orders. At the same time, Zagreus slid in beside Azett.
"Surely you can feel it too, your Grace. The Guardians will not be the only enemy. Others will take advantage of the coming chaos. Other Platebearers, and those seeking the Plates."
Azett's glare never wavered. "Of course I know that. But thanks to your knowledge, I have borne my Plate longer than any of them. If they come, they will die by my hands personally, Platebearer or not."
Zagreus smiled and nodded. "Then the only thing I have left to impart to you are my well wishes. For good fortune in battle." He bowed dramatically.
Azett crossed his arms. "Pokémon… The Paragons are the true enemy. I will end this farce of a war quickly. It must end before the Paragons arrive. And then, I will fulfill my divine purpose and defend this world from them once and for all. That is my decree. And let any who stand against us be branded as enemies of humanity!"
In his valiance, King Azett did not notice Zagreus' deathly smirk, or the dark glint in his messenger's eyes that betrayed the evil Guardian's control over him.
"My King!"
An Aura Guardian ran down the wooden pier and quickly clutched a fist and bowed.
Sir Aaron frowned at his haste and stopped, one foot away from stepping onto his Kalos-bound galleon. Rota had no navy, landlocked as they were, so they'd hired a captain in Vermillion for the journey east.
"What is it?" he said, concern already lacing his tone.
"The Kalosian Armada has set sail and is heading west! Our scouts say they've assembled for war! Their men are armed and armored, and they have an army of trainers aboard!"
Sir Aaron's brows furrowed. "War?" He glanced away. Is this related to our presence in the Hoenn Region? I'd increased our presence there after learning that many of the pokémon from their massacre were captured there. But would Azett really escalate to war over something so trivial? He turned around and looked out over the ship, across its width, at the open ocean to the east. His messenger was still babbling on but honestly, his voice had faded into the background. You shredded the chance of an alliance with your wanton bloodshed, Azett, but I intended to find the truth of this darkness by going to Kalos myself. Are you telling me you won't even allow that anymore? Your pure heart, which wished so deeply for the abolition of fear…could it have been blackened so much by fear, in turn, of the Paragons…? Or was it the seduction of the Plates?
Or was your true desire all along to claim limitless power so you could shed yourself of such fear?
"My King!" the messenger squawked, breaking him from his thoughts.
"What?!" Aaron growled, wheeling on him.
The messenger raised his arm and pointed at the eastern sky. "There, my King! We're under attack!"
All around him, Guardians were beginning to point and shout, with some withdrawing their pokéballs.
Sir Aaron grit his teeth. No time to think! Ripping a pokéball from his own belt, he expelled its contents onto the pier beside him, and the energy within quickly coalesced into a regal Dragonite. It snorted, sensing the incoming threat immediately, and its head jerked to the east, glaring.
"Defensive formation, Guardians!" Aaron roared. "On me! Do not engage until I give the order!"
"What's going on out here?" a gruff voice demanded. A man with a dark gray beard and sea-crusted coat stomped across the wooden deck of the ship, coming to a stop next to Aaron. He eyed the Dragonite warily, fear evident in his eyes.
"I'd get below deck, captain," the Guardian King warned, mounting Dragonite. "Seems King Azett has gotten impatient and is coming out to greet us instead."
Without another word, Sir Aaron kicked Dragonite into the skies, and a moment later, his Guardians joined him, circling around him atop their own flyers. In the far distance, a horde of black dots danced above the horizon, growing larger with each passing moment. As they neared, their edges became more defined, taking the shape of avian pokémon, with riders on their backs.
There must be fifty…no, closer to seventy of them. With their numbers, and at the speed they're going, they clearly intend to attack us. Sir Aaron's eyes narrowed as the wind cut past him. Since when did Kalos become so familiar with pokémon?
When they were nearly a minute away, their forms became clear. However, it was difficult to identify the pokémon due to steel plate armor that covered most of their bodies. Most looked like Talonflame, though Aaron couldn't be certain. Was it when they decided to start using them as weapons of war? he thought grimly. With one hand clutching Dragonite, he clenched his fist, igniting a surge of Aura within him.
Suddenly, a high pitched keening screeched across the sky, and Aaron nearly let go over Dragonite to clamp his hands over his ears. Through gritted teeth, he saw the unmistakable ears of an armored Noivern glide up from behind its comrades, the air shimmering in front of it from the attack.
"Take evasive action!" Aaron commanded his Guardians, banking down to escape the cacophony. "Twister, Dragonite!"
Dragonite roared, unleashing a storm of crackling energy into the seas below. A moment later, a giant tornado of seafoam ripped into the skies, shooting up from beneath the attackers. Over half of them were swallowed up by the maelstrom or cast off target by its violent winds.
At the same time, the Guardians crashed into the attacking force in midair, the screeching and screaming of pokémon and man alike filling the air. Bursts of Aura and elemental attacks flew through the air, both whizzing past the attackers and slamming into them, sending them plummeting down to the ocean below.
As Aaron swept beside the massive shadow cast by Dragonite's Twister, he urged his mount up, aiming to come up behind the host. Just before he crested over the top, Aura roared to life on his arms, and his eyes were already flooded in azure. In an instant, he identified friend from foe in the chaotic battle raging before him. As Dragonite leaned forward, allowing him a stable mount, Aaron threw his arms outward.
A wave of Aura, like shimmering mist, bloomed out from him, engulfing the entire midair battle. It passed harmlessly over the Guardians, but the enemy Talonflames squawked and reared back, tossing their riders, who themselves had already been knocked unconscious, before passing out instantly, falling from the sky in a storm of wings and clanking armor. The armored bodies of the Kalosian knights fell like ragdolls, peppering the sea in blooms of seafoam/
The Guardians around him calmed as they saw their foes falling in defeat.
The first battle had ended in their unequivocal victory.
"Retrieve them," Aaron said, already urging Dragonite back to land.
When he landed on the pier again, the captain was waiting for him stone-faced. "I'm afraid I'll have to renege on our arrangement, your Majesty. You can't possibly expect me to sail straight into a war."
"Of course not," Aaron said. "I doubt we'd be received warmly after what just transpired."
The captain took off his cap and rubbed his bald head. "Agh. War. Terrible for business. I think I'll head south and wait it out."
Even that may not be far enough, Aaron thought, though he didn't say it. "No matter what you decide to do, I imagine you'll want to decide quickly. That was just an advance force. Kalos' pokémon aren't strong enough to migrate all the way from east to west. They will have dismounted from warships several miles out. And those warships are still on their way."
The captain scoffed in disbelief. "That many? Just an advance force? What did you do to piss 'em off so much?"
Aaron sighed. Even if tensions have been rising, that could never explain such a forceful attempted ambush like this. "I wish I knew."
His Guardian brethren started landing around him, carrying the soaked bodies of the Kalosians and their pokémon with them. Because of the modest size of the port, they were able to spread out across the grassy hills around the port, dumping their payloads onto the ground unceremoniously.
Aaron nodded in farewell to the captain, and walked briskly toward his men. A senior Guardian stepped down from his Fearow and bowed curtly.
"The result?" Aaron asked.
The Guardian's eyes scrunched in dismay. "They killed one of ours and injured two. We took one of theirs."
Dark storm clouds hummed in Aaron's mind, and he closed his eyes. "There's no turning back now," he said quietly.
"We should return to Rota with haste, my King," the Guardian said. "We must prepare ourselves for a ground invasion from Kalos' navy."
Aaron nodded. "Their warships off the coast are less of a concern to me right now. What we must truly grasp are the intentions of our foe. What is their goal, and how far are they willing to go to reach it? Learn that, and it will become clear how expansive and protracted they intend this conflict to be."
"I'd say they intend on a war that is quite expansive and protracted. Based on what they've already done."
"I fear that what they've done so far isn't the worst of what they're capable of. Our scouts report rumors of a top-secret project ongoing in the bowels of Kalos, and the massacre of the hundred thousand pokémon seems likely to be related to it. If Azett has somehow learned how to harness the power of Aura from the corpses of all those pokémon, then it is absolutely imperative that we find and shut down said project immediately, whatever it is."
The Guardian nodded grimly. "These words should be heard by all your captains."
"Indeed," Aaron agreed. "I will go on ahead to Rota. I entrust you with handling our enemies here. Transport them back and we'll confine them to the lower keep for now."
"Yes, my King."
As he moved toward Dragonite, Sir Aaron could almost hear his blood pumping itself sluggishly through his veins, as if resisting their current reality. Azett…how did it come to this? He could already tell the coming years would not be kind to him.
Six years later, Land of Rota
"Advance, you bastards! Strike down every Guardian you see!" King Azett roared, stepping forward with a dark iron broadsword in hand. Kalosian wielders raced forward around them alongside their pokémon, swiftly disappearing into the dark forest before the Palace under the cloak of night.
Finally, they had cracked into the heartland of the Guardians. After the Guardians had repelled their initial attack six years ago, an impenetrable defense had been established around Rota, with all roads and ports locked down. But Aaron was even more thorough, defending the skies from attack as well, and his own formidable command of Aura had proved to be a match against the might of his Fairy Plate.
War had broken out across the world as those who flew their respective flags seized the opportunity to claw their way up from the dregs. With their protection from Rota and Kalos now in jeopardy, villages and towns had risen up against their neighbors, determined to carve out their own place in the world. And due to the imperial nature of Kalos and Rota, those local conflicts had become proxy wars as the two superstates fought for supremacy across the world. Aaron and Azett were both well aware that striking the opposing capital city would bring the swiftest end to the war, and allowing the other to take control of even small towns only inched the dagger closer to their throats.
And throughout it all, the other Platebearers whispered their influence across the myriad battlefields, channeling the flow of the war around them. But the omniscience granted to Azett by the Fairy Plate granted him, and him alone, an absolute advantage against the rival Platebearers. How many had already fallen to him? He always offered to spare them in exchange for their Plate, but stubbornly, they always refused. They would rather die than surrender Arceus' divine power.
Nevertheless, Azett's ruthlessness had finally borne fruit. While the Guardians had already cut through Unova and Galar from behind, and had gained a beachhead on Kalosian shores, he had reached Rota first. After six long years, the race against time had ended in Kalos' victory.
And not soon enough. According to the wisdom of the Fairy Plate, the Paragons were set to arrive later this year. Azett didn't know precisely when or where, but he was certain it would be this year. His men had readied the ultimate weapon, and when they arrived, he would be ready. He would not let the vision he saw six years ago play out.
But first, Aaron and the Guardians needed to be ground down to dust for their despicable betrayal.
Red lightning lanced across the black sky with a thunderous crack, illuminating the regal Cameran Palace for a moment. Up ahead, Groudon stomped over the forest, magma leaking from the gleaming runes on its crimson skin, and it roared its fury to all within a ten-mile radius.
Three jets of Aura shot out from the forest and impacted against Groudon's chest, but the behemoth simply snarled and roared even louder, swinging its gargantuan arm and releasing a tidal wave of lava over its assailants. The night became a frenzied blaze of war and fire and the roars of man and monster alike.
Azett didn't slow his pace at all upon entering the forest, now an inferno of cinders with chaos all around him. He grinned, saliva leaking from the corners of his mouth, as he saw a Guardian running toward him, his hands alight with Aura. The Guardian's Electrode rolled beside him, tumbling over burned roots with gusto. The Guardian shot an Aura Sphere at him, but Azett easily dodged, then sank his armored fist into the young man's face, pulping it to blood and bone in an instant. Then, without losing a step, he spun on the ball of his foot and swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc, cleaving the Electrode in half just as it sailed into the air in front of him. The two hemispheres ignited, combusting with an ear-shattering bang and blinding nova.
Azett stepped through the explosion, soot covering his face, smoke trailing from his grinning mouth. "Kill them all!" he spat. "Bury every wretched Guardian you see!"
He couldn't believe he'd once entertained the idea of allying with these craven freaks. Coexistence with pokémon? A pipe dream. No, a nightmare.
The war raged on and blood and smoke continued to fall upon his body, but several hours later, they finally emerged from the forest. Cameran Palace stood tall, though its regal silhouette looked tiny against the towering Tree of Beginning, which glimmered beneath the pregnant moon.
Where are you, Aaron? Though he wasn't overly curious, the wisdom of the Fairy Plate granted him an answer anyway, and he frowned. The Tree of Beginning? Is that why it still shines so brightly despite the conflagration raging around it? He sneered. I knew you'd never abandon Rota with us so close, but to think you do not deign to even greet me on the field of battle… Your arrogance will be your undoing.
The Guardians were a slippery bunch. He'd learned that many times over the past six years. Despite his nigh omniscience, he was still only one man, and the Plate only responded to specific queries. They'd been surprise-attacked more times than he could count, and even when the Guardians appeared to have their backs against the wall, their power of Aura could turn any situation around in an instant.
Even now, with victory literally in sight, defeat was not out of the question either.
"Your Grace," one of his generals strode up next to him. "We've received word from the capital. They've nearly reached the southern gates. Our Galarian allies are harassing them, but it doesn't seem to be enough to stop their advance."
Azett closed his eyes, and cosmic intelligence filtered into his mind at will. "You're wrong," he said, opening them again. "They've already breached the southern gates and are on their way to the keep now. The next few hours will decide the fate of this entire war."
His general shifted uneasily. "To think it's gotten this close. This is an unforgivable blunder."
"Not so. On the contrary, you've performed admirably against an opponent with such a formidable advantage. And you continue to do so to this day, to this hour. For that, I thank you, General."
"I am unworthy," he bowed. "But if the capital should fall…"
"I have a contingency, of course. Our minister of finance has been instructed to flee the keep with as many allies as he can in the event of a total defeat. He alone knows the location of all our treasuries, and will have the resources to reform our forces." His eyes narrowed. "Lord Errol Vandrick has always served my family faithfully."
His general nodded. "And…the weapon?" he asked in a lower voice.
"Will be utilized when the Paragons arrive. Not a moment before or after. I entrusted the custody of that task with your men alone. For only a warrior would have the strength to see it through."
His general slammed his fists together. "And we will not fail you."
As his general bowed, then left to rejoin their forces, Azett glanced back over at the Tree of Beginning. What is this feeling of unease?
As the hour of the Paragons' arrival inched closer, Azett's anxiety rose, and he felt himself becoming more and more paranoid by the day, always thinking it was just seconds away. The feeling had nearly torn him apart, yet, ironically, with so much of his attention focused on the war, his sanity remained intact.
Yes…the war.
Fate was a curious creature. Perhaps nothing happened by accident. It seemed, at times, that this war, a mere prologue to the arrival of the Paragons, was exactly what Azett the hero required. One final trial on the mortal plane before the advent of the divine.
In the distance, the Tree of Beginning suddenly grew brighter. The sky overhead rumbled and gurgled as if choking. Dark lines began to spread across the black expanse, somehow even darker than the night itself. Amidst the abyss, the Tree of Beginning shined like a beacon, casting its light over all of Rota, along with a keening, otherworldly hum.
His body moving on its own, Azett began sprinting toward the Tree, down the grassy hill, through his soldiers' lines, ignoring the Guardians completely.
No…
Thunder screamed across the sky, high-pitched and bloodcurdling as if something alive had made the sound instead.
It can't be…
The power of the Fairy Plate flared, and Azett rocketed through the air, moving on instinct alone. The air suddenly became humid, moisture coalescing on his blood-stained skin and clothes like breath on a cold day, but if anything, the temperature seemed to have just risen.
It's too soon…
As the sky burst apart, sound and sight both rupturing into blindness and silence, Azett saw the Tree of Beginning ignite, casting a rippling nova of azure light outward. His body jerked in midair, though he could not say what caused it.
For the first time in years, cold, clawing terror engulfed Azett, and along with it, the Tree's light, and the sky's night.
Next — Chapter 47 : Remnants of the Great War
Remnants of the Great War [38]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [38]
Chapter 47 : Remnants of the Great War
Remnants of the Great War Arc [38]
Chapter 47 : Remnants of the Great War
How much time had passed, Azett could not say. The unceasing ringing in his ears and skull-splitting agony in his head prevented him from even using the Plate to find out. All he could do was inhale and exhale, each breath confirming that he was still alive. The fact that he couldn't even tell what orientation his body was currently in was probably cause for concern, but anytime he thought of anything besides breathing, a wave of nausea would well up within him.
What eventually broke him from his hellish reverie was a new scent. Along with his sense of sight, hearing, and touch, Azett had thought he'd lost his sense of smell too. But a metallic, smoky smell began to waft into his nostrils, filling him with something other than ruin. It tickled the insides of his nose, and he crinkled it involuntarily.
With his sense of smell, his other senses swiftly returned as well. He felt sharp gravel pressing into his face, and he realized he was lying on the ground, of course. His limbs were sprawled out, and he began to feel a faint heat against the backs of his hands like a fire was nearby.
That was enough for him to act. Testing himself by moving his leg a bit, he eventually rolled over. Another wave of nausea assaulted him, but while he waited for it to pass, he kept his eyes open. Everything was still blurry, but he could make out general splotches of gray and brown around him. After several more minutes, he sat up in one swift motion, then stood up, before his body could protest.
His hair fell in a tangled mess around him, and his clothes were in tatters. He stood shakily, like a newborn, as he took in his surroundings.
The sky rumbled as if threatening to fall. As far as Azett could see, over hills and within valleys, all he saw was desolation. Lonely flames burned between a seemingly endless expanse of fallen human bodies and spiky tree stumps. Dust coated everything and wafted down in flurries like snow.
Yes, he remembered now. He was in Rota. For right ahead, at the center of a lake, which now reflected an utterly gray sky, stood Cameran Palace. Dust covered the entire castle, yet it appeared undamaged among the silent battlefield.
Azett turned his head. North of the palace, the Tree of Beginning still stood, and unlike everything else across the monochrome vista, it was still limned in emerald and aqua, the only entity of color in sight.
What did this?
He asked immediately. And a moment later, he knew.
A twister of anguish spiraled to life within him, but somehow, he forced out another question. "What did they do?" he croaked aloud, fear and despair alight in his bloodshot eyes.
…
He sank to his knees, quivering. "No," he moaned. "No…no, no, no…
He looked back up at the glimmering Tree. Tears fell from his eyes, and he remained paralyzed. Unable to move. Unable to accept.
Rota was not the only land swallowed in desolation. A similar view graced the face of continents across the world.
No, those views were far, far worse.
Kalos was gone. His entire kingdom. Everyone in it, dead. Everything, returned to zero.
The Paragons had already come and gone.
He had failed.
Hours later, even when he was hauled up by some others, a hood thrown over his head, Azett made no move to resist. There was not a single aspect of his being that was not irreparably shattered.
The hood was ripped off his head violently, and light flooded his eyes, causing him to squint painfully. Even before his vision had fully adjusted, he heard the low rumbling of speaking all around him, and he knew he was not alone. He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but he found himself unable to, barricaded on all sides. That was when he felt a weight on his wrists. Iron shackles clanked noisily with his every move, and he glanced up again.
Through a greasy curtain of hair, he could see he was in some sort of chamber, and most of it was basked in shadows, save for where he was, due to a window on the opposite end of the room. A short ways away, people had gathered, arranged in some sort of audience, all dressed the same, and they murmured to themselves as they observed him. Their eyes cast a myriad of emotions at him: disgust, anger, interest, arrogance.
After he'd been dragged off the battlefield at Rota, he'd been thrown in some dark, dank place to rot. Again, for how long, he couldn't say, and he'd had no interest in finding out either. But just earlier, after having a hood thrown over him again, he was collected from that place and brought here.
"You stand before the gathered to face judgment for your crimes," a voice rang out in front of him.
Azett followed the sound of the voice, and his line of sight disappeared into a raised dais that towered above the rest of the audience, darkened by the shadows near the top of the room.
A trial!
"King Azett, the crimes with which you are charged are far too numerous to list, and given the present state of the world, our time would be much better spent beyond this chamber, so I'll make this as brief as possible."
"Wait!" Azett demanded, lurching forward. But before he could even finish taking a step, nearly tripped over himself. He hadn't even noticed, but his ankles had been shackled as well. It was only now that he noticed he'd been placed in a narrow iron cage, barely big enough to contain his upright form, with only the space in front of him open to address the gathered. "Is it true?" he said, his voice hoarse. "About Kalos… About the world?"
"So, word has reached you, then. Yes, everything you've heard is true. Kalos is gone. Galar is still in flames. Unova has been reduced to rubble, save for the capital. The Hoenn continent has been razed, and even Tohjo did not escape unscathed."
Azett's throat ran dry, and he coughed. After his coughing spell ended, he looked frantically around the room, at all the gathered, but they simply gazed back, not a hint of amusement on any of their faces. Furiously, he turned back to the one who seemed to be the judge. "If what you're saying is true, then the death toll must be in the millions! No, hundreds of millions!"
There was a silence. But it was soon filled. "That's correct. Though the number of dead continues to rise even now."
Horror filled Azett from his skin down to his organs. Even though the Fairy Plate had never failed him, he still clung to the hope that it was wrong. Perhaps he was misinterpreting it. Maybe he'd hit his head during the war. But now, someone else was confirming it. And the expressions of everyone else in the chamber proved it was no lie or jest. "But that's…" he breathed.
"I'm not sure what you thought would happen when you built that weapon of yours. Don't look so sullen now, your Grace. This is the future you desired, is it not?"
Azett jerked up. "What?! My weapon! My weapon did not cause this! It was the—"
"Let us return to the matter of your judgment," the voice boomed. "As it happens, that weapon of yours still has yet to be found. Though reducing the severity of your punishment is utterly out of the question, it may behoove your damned soul to reveal its location all the same, should you desire any restoration of your karma. If that look on your face is genuine, then surely you'd surrender its location, so that that foul thing can be purged from this world."
"Wait! Just stop!" Azett demanded, his shackles clanking. "The weapon was never used! This…this apocalypse…it could never be caused by my weapon!" He frowned. "Who are you?"
This trial is a sham! The Guardians are pinning the destruction of the Paragons on me!
Azett heard the creaking of wood up on the dais, and a shadowy figure stood, each step echoing through the chamber as he moved into the light.
Azett's eyes widened, and he could not stifle a gasp. "You…!"
"This trial is proceeding under my jurisdiction. Surely you have no complaints, O King of Kalos. As you can plainly see, I am no Guardian."
Though Azett had never seen this man before, much less met him, he knew him all the same. Everyone did. And even though he hadn't asked it, the Fairy Plate whispered his identity into Azett's consciousness as loud as a firecracker.
This was the Hero of Kanto.
His face was bereft of any defining features, and as such, Azett couldn't immediately tell how old he was. From so far away, he could've been younger, the same age, or even a decade older than him, and Azett wouldn't have been surprised either way. He wore a simple tunic and nondescript cape, yet his presence commanded authority, even from the likes of a king and Platebearer like Azett.
Azett swallowed.
"You should consider yourself lucky, your Grace," the Hero continued, in that regal timbre. "When the Guardians found you, most of them wanted you executed immediately. It is only by the grace and mercy of Rota's crown that you still draw breath."
Azett's face seized. "Aaron," he spat.
The Hero's eyes narrowed. "No. It was Queen Rin's decision. King Aaron is dead."
…
"Huh?"
"King Aaron is dead," the Hero repeated, his voice reverberating through the chamber. "Did you not hear about that part? He sacrificed his life to the Tree of Beginning to protect our world from the annihilation that nearly engulfed it in its entirety."
Azett was stunned speechless. "…Dead…?" he repeated after a sustained silence.
Not only have I lost my kingdom and my people, but even my archenemy…and best friend…
The chains clasped around Azett's limbs clinked as he slumped in place. The world was saved… Part of it, at least. Anger curled onto his face. Rota didn't suffer any damage! His teeth grinded together and he clenched his fists, but a moment later, his body loosened and went slack. What does it matter? The Paragons were repelled. Yet they took everything from me all the same.
"Deliberations concluded before you even step foot in this hall, and we are not as merciful as the good Queen Rin" the Hero said, invading Azett's poisonous depression. "King Azett, you are sentenced to death by order of this court, effective immediately. We've already culled a number of your cohorts and collaborators. Now, all that's left is to remove the head of your blood-soaked regime."
The crack of the gavel echoed throughout the chamber, and when his shackles were unlocked, Azett collapsed to the floor.
"Get up!" he heard someone say, but he didn't, so they dragged him on his knees out of the courtroom, back into the dusty miasma outside. With each passing second, Azett fell further and further into empty agony. Tears fell from his eyes like icy snowflakes, and the lump in his throat felt like hot lead, threatening to burn through his neck and spill his blood on the ground below. His entire body felt numb. Pain, or even torture, would've been preferable to the nothing he felt now.
It didn't even bother him that they were pinning responsibility for the war on him. Aaron would be venerated as a hero for certain. But only by those that were left. And he would be remembered as the villain who caused such annihilation. Or maybe he wouldn't be remembered at all. They'd burn his name from their histories and forbid anyone from speaking a single positive word about him.
With the Hero in charge, which it appeared he was, that was certainly possible.
He welcomed this execution.
He'd had enough. His fight to protect the world from the Paragons, and the war that had proceeded. He'd lost them both, and losers only deserved ignominious deaths.
Before he knew it, they'd gone back inside somewhere. It was different from where he'd been held before, but he was back in a cell. It stunk of mold, and his carriers dumped him on the damp floor before closing the rusty door behind them with a harsh screech. And then, after they'd gone, it was silent once more, leaving only that noxious odor to keep Azett company.
You said effective immediately, Hero. Must you make me wait for my peace?
Hours passed.
"Azett."
He jerked up. He knew that voice. Even though he hadn't heard it in six years.
Azett stood, the heaviness weighing upon him clattering aside like boulders. He glanced feverishly around his tiny cell, bathed in darkness, throwing himself against the bars in an attempt to see further down the hall he'd been taken down. "Aaron! Where are you?"
"I am not here. I've been reduced to nothing more than a voice."
"They…They told me you were dead!"
"Effectively, I am. It will take centuries for my body to recover, even slumbering within the Tree."
A relieved smile almost danced upon Azett's face, but his face froze before it could, and it quickly twisted into a sneer. "Why did you come here?"
"Obviously, I came to talk to you."
"If you expect me to apologize for anything I did, I won't!"
"I didn't come here for that. The war is over, and both of us are dead to the world. And I have no interest in discussing the reasons behind this or that action with an enemy."
An enemy. Yes, that was what they were to each other.
"I can't hold this form for much longer. Even this preamble will have added years to my recovery, I suspect. But I had to speak to you one last time, before your execution."
"Out with it, then," Azett growled.
There was a pause before Aaron spoke again.
"I'm sorry."
Now Azett truly wanted to laugh, but he swallowed it, letting it boil within him.
"I'm sorry I couldn't show you another path. I'm sorry I let you face the Paragons alone." Another pause. "And I'm sorry I couldn't save Kalos. I'm sure you have it in your head that I let it be destroyed on purpose, but I truly—"
"You have nothing to apologize for," Azett spat. "I am—I was the king of Kalos. Its safety and prosperity was my responsibility. The same for the Paragons. Everything I did, I did of my own volition. Do not think so highly of yourself, Hero."
After a prolonged silence, Aaron spoke again, though his voice was markedly quieter. "Fine. Goodbye, Azett."
"Wait."
Azett stalked over to the corner of his cell and sank down. Black anger burned in his eyes. "Promise me one thing. These laurels you've obtained for yourself. Your heroic title. Your precious Guardians. If you want to do just one thing for me, you will leave them all behind. Left with nothing. Just like me. Do you hear me? You saved nothing. You didn't stop the Paragons. Nor did you win the war. This world still tasted annihilation, even with your paltry interference. Promise me you'll divest yourself of this world. This grateful world, or the remnants of it, will never impose a punishment on you, so I will. Never show your face again. Disappear into the annals of history and let the next generation shoulder our mistakes. We've tried to correct fate more than enough. Promise me all this. It will take you centuries to return? So be it. I'll be watching you. Don't think I won't be."
There was no immediate response. At first, Azett thought he'd already left, but there was a response, even weaker than the last.
"I promise."
Land of Rota, present day
"Argh!" AZ roared, and a shockwave of gale winds burst out from around him, forcing both Ash and Aaron back. Blood ran from cuts across his whole body, yet his agile movements did not suggest he'd been damaged in the slightest.
Ash landed on knees, and a moment later, Pikachu flew back and landed on his shoulder deftly, quickly turning to face the raging giant.
"You betrayed me!" AZ screamed, jabbing his finger at Aaron with every enraged word. "When I was on the cusp of battle against the Paragons, you declared war on me! The world fell to ruin because of you! How dare you play the hero!" He stomped toward Aaron, flipping his massive Fairy Plate sword in his hand, jagged and terrible. "You were supposed to suffer, like I suffered! Did you forget your sins, that you would so quickly condemn me for mine?"
It felt like hot lead was running through Ash's veins, now that he'd been using the power of the Electric Plate for so long. Yet he forced himself to his feet all the same. It seemed that the more damage AZ took, he only grew angrier and more unhinged. More dangerous. Conversely, Sir Aaron appeared to be weakening. He hadn't yet stood after being pushed back, and his Mega Lucario eyed him in concern, flicking his attention between his master and his enemy.
"Ha."
AZ's face twisted into a confused snarl.
"Ha ha. Hahahahaha!"
Sir Aaron stood, the falling rain casting a shadow over his face. Then he looked up, and a flash of lightning above illuminated his face for a moment, showing a wide grin, his teeth clenched nearly to the point of breaking. "I betrayed you? Is that right?"
A lance of Aura flickered to life in his palm, before flaring to life and solidifying into a gleaming sword, brighter and bigger than all the others he'd made throughout the fight. "I've never heard of something so funny in my life."
With each step he took, puddles of water and mud splashed and sizzled against his ankles. "Oh, there was a betrayal alright. I'm not denying that."
Aura exploded into life around him in a nova, blowing his spiky hair around wildly, his entire form eclipsed in a blinding light. Ash covered his eyes instinctively, but just before he did, he saw Aaron blitz forward, cratering the ground beneath him.
"IT WAS YOU WHO BETRAYED ME!" Aaron roared, slamming his sword down on AZ.
AZ crumpled beneath Sir Aaron's attack, grunting as he barely caught the weight of the slice on his sword. His knees hit the ground, and an effulgent light burst forth from the impact, a glassy cacophony reverberating out from the clearing. Swiftly, AZ moved his other hand to brace the blade of his sword and Aaron bared down on him, fury smoking on his face.
"I wanted to save the world together with you!" Aaron yelled. "I could never do it myself, and I never did! You don't think I feel the weight of all that blood on my shoulders every day?! It cost me my body and soul just to use the Tree of Beginning to scare them off early before they could destroy everything!"
Aaron swung his sword with all his strength, and the ethereal material of their two blades grinded against each other painfully, before Aaron launched AZ back, sending him flying into a stout tree. But he didn't let up, leaping forward again to catch him before he could stand.
"For all your talk of such a noble purpose, you never ended up using all that power and strength for anyone but yourself!"
"What did you say," AZ growled, his face inches from Aaron's as he exerted himself against the Guardian King's merciless assault.
"You knew of the Guardians' dream! Of my dream! And you spit on it all! One hundred thousand pokémon, dead!"
"I did what I had to do to protect this world!" AZ snarled, forcing Aaron back just enough that he could regain his composure. "Your filthy dream is what nearly brought about the end of the world!"
"Oh, you do enjoy deluding yourself, don't you?" Aaron spat. "How else could you have convinced yourself that you're actually the hero?"
"I wear no such mantle! One hundred thousand was a paltry sum for salvation. I'd do it all again!"
Aaron's glare deepened, and he surged forward, thrusting his sword into AZ's shoulder, and the giant howled, retching himself free in an instant before he could be impaled. Pure hatred blackened his eyes, and, hunched over as he was with all the blood dripping off his skin, he no longer even looked human.
"If you truly wanted to defeat the Paragons, you should have slaughtered a million pokémon!" Aaron roared.
Ash's mouth stood agape as he watched the two men fight. Obviously, he couldn't intervene, but had he just heard Sir Aaron correctly?
"No, even that would be too paltry as well!" Aaron said, circling toward AZ. "You should have killed a billion. No, perhaps even a trillion."
AZ's eyebrows twitched, as if unsure he was hearing Aaron right.
"Did you truly think the Aura of one hundred thousand pokémon would be enough to leave even a scratch on one of the Paragons? If so, you're even more foolish than I thought." Before AZ could interject, Aaron continued. "But no. I think you knew. I think you knew very well that your weapon had no chance against the Paragons. The only reason you created that ghastly thing was to assuage your own fear."
AZ roared and charged Aaron, swinging his blade in a wide arc, but Aaron easily sidestepped.
"Poisoned by fear, you used the Plate to create that weapon just so it'd be strong enough to destroy a coountry! Say, Rota! And you convinced yourself you did it for the greater good! Isn't that right? You said you never used the weapon during the Great War, right? But according to you, the war never ended. And now, that weapon has been pointed at Rota instead!"
AZ swung his sword wildly, but Aaron dodged or deflected each one with ease, zipping into AZ's blind spots as he continued his spiel.
"Why else would you create such a thing, if not to destroy your rivals on the world stage? Do you think anyone ever truly bought your heroic justification? You're nothing but a butcher! And a maniac, who'd use Arceus' divine power to bring an abomination like that into this world just to satiate your own fears! By busying yourself in a war with the Guardians, you spared yourself of any thought about the imminent arrival of the Paragons!"
"SHUT UP!" AZ bellowed, slamming his sword down with horrid speed. But Aaron simply sidestepped, and the blade punctured the ground, rupturing earth and soil beneath them in a dark spray of debris. However, in an instant, AZ tore his sword back into the air and leveled it at Aaron. Six orbs of light flashed into existence around the hilt in the shape of a crescent moon, and with a squeeze of his fist, they fired a barrage of light forward.
Aaron flipped and rolled between them, somehow dodging every single ray of lethal light that streaked toward him in a grinding burst. AZ's barrage was relentless, but Aaron narrowed the gap all the same, leaping forward to close the last bit of difference. "Now, the war is all that exists for you, isn't it?" His blade crashed against AZ's once more with a thunderous bang. "The very moment you broke free from your tomb of stagnation, you descended back into wretched bloodshed! You've carved all but one option from your soul! Everything that made you human, until now, only a monster remains! And now, whether it's salvation or damnation, you can only find either on the field of battle! Isn't that right? Huh?!"
Aaron's blade caught one of the jagged grooves on the edge of AZ's sword, and he twisted his wrist. Despite its size, AZ's massive sword spun from his gnarled hands, whipping through the air and burying itself in the ground behind him. He grunted in surprise, and his yellow eyes widened as they found his nemesis.
"The war ends now! You will not shed one more drop of blood!" Aaron roared, blitzing toward him.
AZ whipped his arms in front of himself protectively.
"Oh, dear."
Aaron halted in his tracks, a plume of dust billowing forward at his sudden inertia. His eyes went wide and a trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
Beside Ash, Lucario seized up in exactly the same way. Ash looked over in horror. A stream of blood ran from a dark slit in his chest, just above his iron spike. Directly over his heart.
The shadows thickened in front of Sir Aaron, and a black fog soon gurgled into existence. They solidified, wafting and molding into the shape of a human arm and hand, clutching a pitch-black dagger buried in Aaron's chest. As the shadows continued to fall away, the rest of his form was revealed.
"Not that I ever doubted your strength, but challenging the King of the Aura Guardians and a fully-fledged Platebearer at the same time may have been a tad foolish, your Grace."
Zagreus pulled his shadow knife from Sir Aaron's body, and the Guardian King coughed, before stumbling forward. Zagreus then turned to face his old master and bowed. "It's been three thousand years, your Grace. It's good to finally see you again." The smirk he wore looked straight out of hell.
Next — Chapter 48 : Hero on Strings
Remnants of the Great War [39]
PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [39]
Chapter 48 : Hero on Strings
Aaron pitched forward, blood gushing from the hole in his chest. He coughed, and a spat of blood splattered onto the ground in front of them. His form flickered, azure Aura spasming on the outline of his body.
"Sir Aaron!" Ash leaped forward and caught him before he hit the ground.
At the same time, Pikachu leaped into the air and wreathed himself in electricity. Thunder boomed and snapped, and a jagged bolt zapped toward Zagreus. But the rogue Guardian simply raised his hand. A vortex of darkness whirled within his palm, swallowing the Thunderbolt whole, leaving him completely unharmed. Pikachu landed back on the ground and growled, his ears and tail twitching in anger.
"There won't be any of that this time," he said, with a voice like slime. "Admittedly, I underestimated you, Ash. I'll wear this wound forever thanks to that." He tugged at the grisly white scar that cut across his face diagonally, where the Electric Plate had maimed him.
Ash simply glared back at him, holding Sir Aaron's body protectively. Lucario lay behind them, unmoving, but groaning.
"You," AZ rumbled.
Zagreus turned to face him again and bowed. "I apologize for my extended absence, your Grace. Truthfully, I wasn't sure of your intentions, wasting away in that jail for so long. When you finally returned to the world, I figured it'd be wiser not to interfere in your plans until you made a decisive move."
Aaron shifted in Ash's grip as if trying to stand.
"Please don't move, Sir Aaron! You'll make it worse." Ash tightened his grip on the Aura Master as he stared down at the wound on his chest, still bleeding profusely.
Aaron coughed, but he seemed to force his breathing to steady. He leaned up slightly so that he could face the others. "Azett," he wheezed. "Do you know this man?"
Zagreus looked back with a smirk, reveling in his former king's agony.
AZ glanced at Zagreus, then down at Aaron. Then, he started walking toward him.
"Stay back!" Ash yelled. Electricity flashed to life on his hand, and though Zagreus looked amused, AZ didn't react.
He came to a stop far enough away so as not to provoke Ash. His eyes hadn't left Aaron. "How pitiful. Can you even stand?"
Sir Aaron's form flickered again, and he clutched Ash's knee for support as he lifted himself. Ash tried to stop him, but Aaron brushed him off. With some effort, finally, the Guardian King stood again, albeit hunched over. His body also seemed slightly translucent, as if it was beginning to fade.
Ash frowned and Pikachu watched on curiously.
"Of course I can," Aaron said with difficulty.
AZ's eyes narrowed. "Good," he said. Then, he turned back to face Zagreus. "Hold his limbs, I'm going to crush his skull."
Alarm saturated Zagreus' face in a heartbeat as he glanced between the two men.
"Very well," Aaron said.
A second later, both kings blitzed forward, nothing more than blurs of blinding light. The ground ruptured exactly where Zagreus had been standing, soil and rock blooming skyward. The air beside it wavered, then expelled a shower of shadows into existence, Zagreus wafting out from the darkness.
"What are you doing, your Grace?!" Zagreus shrieked, dodging as Aaron's arm cut toward his ankles. "I serve you!"
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?!" AZ roared, launching a punch that would have taken off Zagreus' head if he hadn't ducked a moment sooner. Instead, it felled a line of trees behind him, their trunks snapping as they fell aside. "I am the bearer of the Fairy Plate! I know everything about the natural world, including the truths written upon your soul! All those years ago, you lied to me about a Guardian attack! You never once served me! Your loyalties have only ever rested solely with yourself!"
Zagreus screamed as he ran from the two legends. Ash could only watch in disbelief as the two men who'd been fighting to kill each other just moments ago were fighting side by side. All he could do was try and stay out of the way and keep Lucario safe. To that end, he'd pulled its body to the edge of the clearing, away from AZ and Aaron's ruthless pursuit, with the help of Blastoise and Charizard, who watched the battle carefully, making sure their master wasn't in danger.
As Zagreus streaked away from AZ, Aaron curved around and fired a lightning-quick Aura Sphere that hit his leg before he had a chance to defend. Even before he had a chance to fall, AZ was on him, and he grabbed Zagreus by the neck and hoisted him into the air, then slammed him against a tree.
"Despicable little rat," AZ snarled as he tightened his grip.
Zagreus' face was nearly purple, and his eyes bulged in their sockets. The scar across his face turned crimson and began to bleed. "Bas…tard…!" he choked out. Shadows weaved together in his seizing hand, and his fist closed around another knife. With a spasm of his arm, he thrust it into AZ's side.
AZ grunted and released his grip, stumbling back, and Zagreus fell to the ground and vomited. But before he could recover, Aaron was on him, mere inches away. However, alone and injured, he could do little as Zagreus leaped back and roundhouse kicked him away. He glared at the two fallen kings.
"You bastards will pay for this!" he screeched, his voice hoarse. Then, he seemed to notice Ash. His bloody face scrunched into a maniacal snarl. "And you!" he spat, stomping toward Ash. "Thief! That Plate was mine!"
Ash's eyes narrowed, and as he raised his arms, electricity began to crackle upon them. Pikachu glared at Zagreus from atop his head, and Charizard and Blastoise both began priming attacks.
However, Zagreus was not deterred. Instead, a pitch-black miasma began to curl around him as he approached, shining with a darkness of pure power.
Ash grit his teeth. What is that? Is that some sort of Aura? Or is he actually a Platebearer? Whatever it is, it was able to hurt Sir Aaron and AZ. He spared a glance at the two men, but both still seemed incapacitated. Refocusing on Zagreus, he tried to calm his nerves. Plus, the way he took Sir Aaron by surprise… I need to be careful!
Not a moment after he thought it, Zagreus vanished in a thickened haze of smoke.
No choice! Arceus, please let this work!
Time to use that. A technique Ash had only practiced a few times, if it could be called that. Even more risky than deploying his electricity surgically to augment his pokémon's senses.
He would use his electricity to augment his own senses.
His vision vanished for half a second and he physically felt the sensation of a wisp of electricity passing across his brain. He almost passed out right there and then, but he quickly located Zagreus before he could. The rogue Aura Guardian was behind him; he'd slithered right between Charizard and Blastoise.
Now, Gengar!
The dark steel of Zagreus' knife flashed in Ash's eyesight, but a moment later, it vanished as Gengar yawned up from Ash's shadow and closed his stubby fist around it, blade and all. As the rest of Zagreus' body reformed, he grunted in surprise, trying to pull his arm free. Gengar's grin stretched so wide it nearly touched his eyes. He cackled, and yanked the dagger from Zagreus' hand. And before he even realized what had happened, Gengar flipped it around and released a low chortle, before sticking it straight in Zagreus' left eye.
"AGGGHHHHH!" Zagreus screamed, the shadowy mist dissipating from his face as he fell back, clutching his wounded eye, which was now dumping blood.
Blastoise and Charizard both spun around in anger, and before Ash could command them, a column of water and a column of fire roared down at Zagreus. Steam burst skyward in a blazing blossom, but a single flap of Charizard's wings dispelled it. There would be no cover for the Guardian traitor to escape.
Zagreus' clothes clung to his body, mangled and burned, as he crawled away pitifully. Somehow, he'd protected himself. He whimpered in agony as he rolled onto his back, trying to stagger to his feet. Yet, he collapsed again.
This time, coming face to face with a growling AZ, who had just managed to sit up. The color drained from Zagreus' face as AZ's fist began to shine, his face steeped in pure hatred.
"Fuck!" Zagreus wailed. Shadows boiled beneath him and swallowed him whole just as AZ's fist came crashing down.
The ground exploded beside him with a blinding boom, and Ash shielded his eyes, his mind still a bit numb from his use of the Plate.
When the dust cleared, Zagreus was gone. AZ leapt up and glanced around wildly, almost like he was trying to sniff him out. Then he closed his eyes, and opened them a second later. "Run while you still can, you miserable wretch!" he roared, his voice echoing through the ruined forest.
The clearing fell quiet, save for the downpour of rain that soothed the wounded battlefield. Ash got back on his feet and his pokémon looked at him with worry. But his attention was squarely on AZ, who hadn't yet moved.
Then he began walking. Toward Aaron once again.
Sir Aaron was only just getting back to his feet. He hadn't gotten hit again, but clearly, Zagreus' knife had done far more to him than to AZ. Besides his body flickering in and out of existence, his hair had gone almost entirely gray, and he looked gaunt and weak.
"Wait!" Ash yelled, stepping toward them. They were just working together! Why were they fighting again?!
"I've had that man in my sights for some time," AZ said to Aaron. "I thought you might want to mete out some justice. But, another failure."
"Oh, are you suddenly thinking of me?" Aaron croaked.
Ash winced at the sound of his voice. He sounded like an old man. Like he belonged anywhere except right here.
"I've never stopped thinking of you," AZ said. "The attack fired by my ultimate weapon. The one on its way here as we speak. Aren't you curious how I was able to use it now, after all this time."
Ultimate weapon? Ash's stomach dropped. What is he talking about? Is that what N and Zinnia were after in Kalos? Yet he'd said it'd been fired. Gooseflesh broke out across Ash's skin, fearing the worst.
Aaron was hunched over, and he tried straightening himself out. His eyes widened, the skin on his face crinkling. "You preserved it… The Aura of the hundred thousand… After all this time…" His eyes turned to sorrow. "For use against me."
"Now do you understand the depths of my hatred for you?" AZ growled.
He began stepping forward again, and Aaron could only watch feebly as he approached.
Light flashed in front of AZ, but he jerked his head back at the last second, narrowly avoiding a shaft of lightning thrown by Ash from across the clearing. AZ glanced over at him.
"Get away from him," Ash said.
Charizard and Blastoise were circling around toward AZ, while Pikachu aimed to cut between him and Sir Aaron.
"You're on my list as well," AZ said, stretching his body to alleviate the stress coming from his punctured torso. "Are you so eager to die?"
"No. But I do have a few questions for you. What are the Paragons?"
AZ grinned, though Ash couldn't tell if it was devoid of anger and amusement, or contained both. "Hm? You don't even know about the Paragons?" He bared his bloodstained teeth, and laughed. He looked back at Ash, and laughed again. "Oh, you poor soul," he said through his hollow mirth. "Aaron's wretchedness knows no limits. He's set you on a path that will lead you to an early and terrible death."
"What are you talking about?" Ash demanded.
He glanced over at Sir Aaron, but the man didn't seem to be listening. His eyes were glazed over and the only sign of life remaining was the soft crackle of azure energy across his weakening form.
"You're a Platebearer! Now, your destiny has become intertwined with that of the God Pokémon. The trajectory of your souls is utterly inseparable. Even if you were to discard your Plate, as Aaron did his, you have already been submerged in a current that you are powerless to resist! Look at him! He hasn't been a Platebearer for three thousand years, and still, his fate will be decided by my ultimate weapon, borne of the Fairy Plate! Such is the nature of Arceus' champions. You will live and die by the Plates, for a certainty."
Ash glared at AZ, at his monstrous visage, dripping with blood and dirt and hatred. Just the fact that those words were coming out of his mouth made Ash want to deny them. And that self-important grin, saturated in malice and righteousness. Frankly, it made him sick.
He raised his hand, electricity ringing his fingers. "Withdraw and Protect, Blastoise!" he roared. "Charizard, Flamethrower on Blastoise!"
Immediately understanding, Blastoise leapt and spun in the air, retracting himself into his shell, and as it hit the ground, a harsh glow began to seep out from the holes. At the same time, Charizard reared back and unleashed a torrent of fire straight at his water-type partner, completely undeterred by the falling rain. The fire disappeared into Blastoise's neck hole, and spat out his four limb holes. Then, Blastoise spun into the air, spitting flames as he barreled toward AZ.
AZ's eyes widened, before scrunching his face into a fierce growl. He brought his arm in front of him and knocked Blastoise away, a tidal wave of fire falling atop him.
"Blizzard!"
While still in midair, Blastoise's body popped out, smoke streaming from his limb holes, and after angling his cannons at the giant, he fired two rays of ice straight through the veil of fire, before landing solidly on his feet.
"Aaaargh!" AZ howled as ice crystallized on his burned skin. "What is this?! This shouldn't hurt me!"
Ash gritted his teeth as he felt pain course through him. He was beginning to reach his limits with his use of the Plate. Even imbuing his power in his pokémon's attacks so they could hurt AZ was beginning to become too taxing. But if AZ's weapon, whatever it was, had been fired, then he needed to defeat him now.
AZ ripped through the ice, yet patches of his skin tore off with it, and he grimaced. Before they could recover, he fired a point-blank Moonblast that sent Blastoise barreling back through the trees, then ran straight at Charizard. The dragon caught his grapples and snorted angrily, at eye level with AZ. As they fought for dominance, Ash ripped out Blastoise's pokéball and recalled him before he could get too far.
Charizard began to bear down on AZ, forcing him back. Yet AZ's hands began to glow, and before Charizard could react, they exploded, and he roared in pain as he collapsed to the ground, smoke billowing up around him.
He wasn't defeated, but Ash recalled him as well.
AZ smiled, though he clutched his arm where the skin had peeled off. "Don't take out your rage against me. You should savor the opportunity for bloodshed. Aaron was right. Fear is still omnipresent, even if the masses don't know about the Paragons. I confess even I could not escape its tempest, but what of it?" He licked his lips. "As a fellow Platebearer and as a man who knows everything, take it from me. You might as well enjoy Arceus' depravity, like I have."
"I don't fear Arceus or whatever the Paragons are! And the only depraved one I see here is you!"
"Hahaha. You will, Ash Ketchum." He tightened his fists as he circled toward Ash, blood dripping down his arms. "As of now, you are nothing more than a hero on strings. Strut and dance however you like! In the end, it makes no difference. For we are mere humans. And they are monsters!"
"I'm nothing like you," Ash growled. By now, the stench of blood was beginning to make his eyes water. He was reminded of the carnage left behind at the World Prison, yet this was almost worse because the source of said carnage was right in front of him.
"Perhaps not. But you, like me, are now enslaved to a destiny already written. Flail about impotently. But you will never rise above the ceaseless war. Believe me. I tried."
"Get ready, Pikachu," Ash said.
As Pikachu leaped off his shoulder, cheeks crackling, Ash saw Lucario moving his master away from the battle and thanked him silently. This is everything I've got!
Ash opened his hand, and pure white power spasmed into being around him, gusting about in a cyclone. Stray electricity caught the falling raindrops and illuminated the entire clearing in a throbbing cage of lightning. The grass disintegrated at his feet, and the soil beneath hardened, then cracked in an instant.
Pikachu shuddered as his body absorbed the sudden flood of power, and soon, he became so saturated with it that he began floating off the ground.
AZ glanced around warily and raised his arms. For the first time since Ash arrived, AZ made a defensive move. A gleaming shield burst into view around him, and he smirked from behind it.
Pikachu rolled in the air, rising higher and higher, static fluttering around him like a maddened hive. His cheeks had now turned white and sagged on his face.
Black spots wavered in Ash's field of vision, but he forced himself to remain conscious as he summoned every last bit of power within him. His training this past month in building up his Aura, just like Sir Aaron had instructed, was now coming to a head. As he transferred the last of it to Pikachu, he forced himself to look upon AZ's foul visage.
This is for Anabel.
"Three Heavenly Bolts!" Ash roared, his own eyes blazing with blinding power.
In a millisecond, the electric discord vanished, and the clearing went dark. Then, in the air, Pikachu lit up like the sun. His eyes, cheeks, and stripes upon his back all shined like spotlights. His tiny hand closed around the air, and Ash and AZ both shielded their eyes as a towering lightning lance thundered into existence within. He did the same for the other hand, and a second lightning bolt conjured into his grasp. With a vengeful screech, he opened his mouth, and his entire body went rigid. His zigzagged tail jerked into a straight line, and his entire body became engulfed in a rippling shaft of unbroken electricity: the third bolt.
Now, he began falling straight toward AZ, as a stark white, three-pronged trident. As he neared AZ, he let loose a battle cry, before slamming both effulgent bolts in his hand down, and not a moment later, flipping in the air to release the last one.
A sonic boom burst through the clearing, knocking Ash off his feet, but he didn't have a chance to get up before the bolts crashed down on AZ. A thunderous bang exploded in every direction, blasting through the ground, trees, and sky alike. AZ's silhouette disappeared under the hood of the blinding power, and the three spears of electricity spasmed wildly as they remained lodged in the ground right where he'd been standing.
Then they collapsed, and what little remained of the clearing now vanished as a white nova blossomed, razing everything in its vicinity and beyond.
Next — Chapter 49 : Sir Aaron Albrecht, King of the Aura Guardians