Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know if anyone remembers me, seeing as I've been away for so long. From what my profile page tells me, the last time I published a chapter on any of my stories was January 3rd, 2015, over two years ago. That's inexcusable, and I'm beyond sorry for taking so long to return to my passion. Things haven't gone well in my life, and I intend to explain what kept me away for so long on my profile page. There's no eloquent way I can put this, but for the last few years, my life has been a hellish clusterfuck of problems. One of these was my computer getting a virus and crashing on me so hard I literally had to reboot the entire thing back to factory settings, meaning I lost so much of my work. Literal days of my life had just disappeared, particularly chapters for stories that I had put a lot of effort into. It was incredibly demoralizing, and was a major contributing factor to me taking a long break. Fortunately, I had my important stuff backed up, but it was still a painful reality that my entire life was on that computer, and so much was taken from me. As for the rest, I'll explain later, because there is A LOT that needs to be said.
I do intend to return to my existing Pokémon Conquest fics, the most important being the Christmas fic, and Tales of Ransei, but those are now on official hiatus for the time being. I intend to do some editing to Mistletoe and Secret Santas, mostly for grammatical errors, and also because my backstories and headcanons for some characters have ever so slightly changed. The biggest being my OC. Originally, I had two story ideas for her, but one of those has been scrapped completely, and as for the other, well, you're about to read it, actually.
As of today, Pokémon Conquest is officially five years old. It's been my goal for some time to do something special for the five year anniversary of my favorite Pokémon Game of all time. The other option was to write my own take on the Legend of Ransei with my interpretation of the hero character(s), but since everybody does that, I decided to go for something a bit different. A few months ago, I reached an epiphany with this story idea where everything clicked together, and I feel confident enough to give this fic the justice it deserves.
Obviously, this story does take inspiration from my actual life, particularly the struggles I've had for the past year and a half, but it should not be taken as an accurate representation of my life at present. As I said above, if you want to know my real story, go to my profile page after I've finished editing it within the next 12 hours or so (as of the time of publishing this, of course). Also, I don't doubt that I'm a bit rusty with my writing, so if you find something with the story that doesn't seem right, feel free to tell me so that I can correct it. I hope you enjoy the story. Enjoy the Birth of a Warlord!
He had come over last night. Her mother probably thought that she didn't know, but she did. They talked for hours, reminiscing about happier days. Their voices were alight with something close to happiness. Close, but neither of them was ever happy. Even when her mother's laughter reached the highest rafters of the manor, she knew that there was at least some sadness underneath it, and more than a bit of fear. If it had been genuine, the laughter would have lasted all night, and he might have stayed the whole night. She hoped to think he would stay longer. Forever was an impossible wish, but maybe a week or two? It was so nice to hear his voice again, speaking in a manner that she could delude herself into thinking was joyful.
But just as always, it never lasted.
The laughter turned to talking, then the atmosphere shifted. She could feel the air grow heavy in the house. Talking turned to debating, then arguing, then shouting, then screaming, then screeches she thought only Pokemon were capable of producing. A piece of furniture was sent flying, or maybe he punched a wall. Maybe her mother threw something. From up in her bedroom, she couldn't tell who had triggered whom this time. Regardless of who's fault it was, she couldn't take sides anymore. She had become apathetic to both of them.
She caught sight of something flying past her window. Even in the inky blackness of night, her eyes could see the radiant wings of a Murkrow plain as moonlight. Her head stopped pounding for a moment, and she smiled. They were so fascinating. So wild, so elegant. A nondescript melody resonated in her throat.
"Murkrow, Murkrow.
Melt into the sky.
Embrace the night as you fly,
Ever free.
Da na da da da.
Hmm, hmm, hmm.
No money can I pay
Though a favor if I may
Some feathers and a gust of wind
Blah, blah, blah, rhymes with wind
lend me your wings.
Never free. Never free."
The quill that had been previously focused on drawing a crude illustration of a woman (or maybe a tree, she couldn't tell anymore) went up to the top right corner of her paper and wrote out the lyrics that were coherent. They were going to stay on there for about the next 30 years or so and amount to absolutely nothing, but she knew what would happen if she didn't write them down. She'd remember this crappy little idea about a month from now as the "best idea ever" for a song, and not be able to remember just how terrible it actually was. Best to keep a reminder that she had no good ideas.
The slamming door downstairs caused her to flinch. It must have happened on a hundred different occasions now, but she never got used to it. She still tensed up at every loud noise, bracing for some impact that was never going to come. Her mother was ranting incoherent gibberish now. He must have left, then. She probably wasn't drunk. If she was, she'd be a lot more calm. Her ears began to ring again. Her right arm was twitching.
Screw this.
She was going to wait until tomorrow evening to sneak out of the house, but she was at her limit. She needed to get away now. Yaksha Castle was still abandoned; that wasn't changing any time soon. Assuming no ninjas had claimed it as territory recently, she'd sneak in and crash there for the night. She raced around her room, grabbing her emergency bag and filling it with what she needed. Books, paper, some money, her street clothes, quills, ink, face paint. She looked around the room for the last important item. If she was going out in public, she needed her mask. She found the black item hidden under a pile of laundry that she wasn't sure was dirty. She put it on, just in case someone noticed her on the streets as she made her way to the castle. It was probably unnecessary. The only people out would likely be robbers and gangs, and if one of them found her, well, it wasn't like anyone would care if she disappeared. That revelation should have hurt, but it just reinforced how numb she was.
Even though she had already made the choice to leave tonight, it still took her a good hour or so to work up the nerve to go through with it. She wasn't afraid of her mother catching her. She had been sneaking out for four years now, and that idiot woman hadn't caught her once. She had just as many reasons to be afraid of leaving her house as she did of staying there. There wasn't a single truly safe place for her in the world. No matter where she was, she would be risking her entire existence in one manner or another. Eventually, another Warlord would make their home in Yaksha's Castle, or maybe some gang would take it over, or a noble would buy it up. It was a refuge now, but for how long she didn't know. Best to cherish it while she could.
Since Kotaro had left, the ninjas had been running rampant throughout the kingdom alongside the criminals. In the capital, at least, their chaos was organized to some degree. There were many great Warriors of renown throughout Ransei's 17 kingdoms, but by her experience, you wouldn't find any quite so kind as ninjas, particularly the ninjas of Yaksha. They had taught her a few tricks to help her sneak away from home when she needed to. She had made good use of them. Within five minutes, she had made it out of the manor and was on her way up to the castle.
As she walked along the cobble road, she noticed a flock of Murkrow flying overhead. Among the trees, there were lights dancing in the dark, with a purple, smokey quality to them. Gastly, probably migrated down from Viperia. Now that was a rare sight, more-so than the Murkrow, who hated associating with people. Some Bisharp and Scraggy were running around in the bushes. She couldn't see them, but their cries were crystal clear to her. A chorus of howls were coming from deeper into the forest, sending a chill down her spine. Houndour were her favorites to hear at night. They filled her with an odd warmth and brought starlight to her eyes. The wind howled around her, and it beckoned her toward the castle.
This kingdom was so beautiful. There was nothing better than the music Yaksha produced in the dead of night.
~Q.N~
This was not a good time to be traveling through the kingdom of Yaksha on foot. Crime was plentiful throughout its cities, and even in its small farming villages. Robbers were abundant, vandals harassed innocent bystanders just for the fun of it. Ninjas did as they pleased without masters to guide their actions. Occasionally, a person would be found dead on the roads. This scenery was commonplace to warriors, who had experienced the destruction of life on the battlefield in recent times past. Of course, try as the Unifiers of Ransei might, they would never be able to end all the crime, the pain, the fear in the 17 kingdoms. Yet that hope was necessary if such a world of peace was ever to come about. Faith in the better, the beautiful, the good in the people. That faith also had to be reciprocated by the other warlords, who stood as equals, rather than mere advisers. It needed to be believed by the people as well. But any Warlord brave enough to travel on foot had not seen that hope, that better nature in the people of Yaksha. Even those too meek to resort to criminal activities had succumbed to fear and hatred. Many had left the kingdom, making haste towards more prosperous ones like Valora and Terrera. Leaving many once thriving farm villages desolate, now the stomping grounds of ghost and dark-type Pokemon. Those that stayed, most too proud to be scared from their life-long homes, were targeted by the vagrants. Aside from scoundrels, the ninjas had control over the kingdom still; but no Warlord to control their actions. Yaksha had become the prime location for underground ninja work, and a black market for thieves and assassins. No direction, no order.
This was chaos.
Ryo and Ryoko, Warlords of Aurora, were two of many Warlords that had chosen to make the long pilgrimage to Yaksha on foot. Their journey was made all the more significant by the distance between their kingdom and Yaksha, located on the other side of Ransei. It had taken them over a year to travel this same distance prior during their campaign against Nobunaga in the last days of the war. They had rushed from Aurora's capital to Yaksha's this time around in a matter of days. There were few kingdoms father away than Aurora, and all of their Warlords would likely take the blimps to Yaksha's capital, where an emergency Warlords' Conference would take place. But Ryo had wanted to see the kingdom with his own eyes, and the damage having no Warlord to lead had caused. His sister had agreed. They had stayed the previous night in Cragspur with Lord Ujiyasu, who now traveled down the streets of the final village before the capital with them. Like the young Warlords, he too gazed at the near abandoned towns and the sparse amount of people outside. On the outskirts of town, whole fields had been burned to the ground. The group of three observed the damage, the old Warlord of Cragspur with a glare of pity and disgust, and the twins of Aurora with sadness clouding their eyes.
They were lucky enough to not fall victim to robbers. But they were victimized. Many people recognized them on the journey, at least as Warlords. Some even knew that the twins were the Unifiers. They were met with jeers and glares, pleas, anger, spite. The were condemned for abandoning the people, they were heckled for their dreams of peace. People cried out to them for help. People threw trash and stones at them, demanding that they leave the kingdom. They were told to pay for their crimes against the kingdom, to fix their mistakes. Some demanded Kotaro's head. Ujiyasu had taken the hostility in stride, though he had come close to going after one of the more belligerent of the naysayers. Ryo sunk further into his self-loathing with each curse spat their way. What kept him from breaking down completely was Ryoko grabbing onto his hand. The unshed tears in her eyes had given him strength to keep moving forward. He could tell the hurt look in his eyes allowed her to do the same. They had always been each others' strength.
"This is terrible." Ryoko murmured, looking down at her companion, Espeon, noting the concern on her face as well. "I thought that it had been Nobunaga's war path through eastern Ransei that had caused this kingdom to suffer. It looks like it had just been Kotaro all along."
"It's our fault." Ryo lamented, "We gave the kingdom back to him without a second thought. We just abandoned the kingdom. We're no better than Kotaro."
Ujiyasu scoffed from next to him. "There was no way for any of us to know what that bag of wind would do." He assured the young man, "You two have had your heads in the right place from the start. I'd focus on resolving this kingdom's dilemma."
"That's what we're here to do." Ryoko nodded, giving her companions a determined smile. Ujiyasu nodded his approval at the girl's optimism. Ryo just looked forward, still pondering his role in all this. They had decided to return each of the kingdoms they had conquered in their campaign to their previous leaders. There would be no one more suited to watch over those 16 kingdoms than their original Warlords. Certainly not two kids who got through battle after battle on luck. Dumb luck, even. One kingdom was enough for them, and that was their home. In hindsight, it had been incredibly stupid and naive to think that each of the previous Warlords had the same loyalty to their kingdoms. When looking at and fighting Warlords like Lord Ujiyasu, Lady Nene and Lord Ieyasu, the thought of any Warlord with a lack of empathy for their people just didn't exist. Stupid.
He went inward for a while, lost further in his thoughts as they carried on. Lord Ujiyasu broke him out of it some time later with an offhanded remark, facing skyward.
"Well now, there's something you don't see everyday."
The twins followed his gaze, noticing jet black dots in the cloud-filled sky, crowing as they flew overhead. They were clearly flying Pokemon, but ones they had never seen before.
"What kind of Pokemon are those?" Ryoko asked the Cragspur Warlord as she attempted to get a better look at their hazy forms. "I've never seen anything like them before."
"They're Murkrow, a dark and flying-type Pokemon." he explained. "They make their nests very far into the forests of Yaksha, away from humans. I've only seen 'em once myself."
"Why would they be flying around here? There's nothing but empty fields and farmland for miles." Ryo asked. "And I thought that dark-types slept during the day."
"I couldn't hazard a guess. Dark-types aren't exactly my specialty, you know." From next to Ujiyasu, his partner Gigalith made a quiet grunting noise. "Maybe they've gotten a bit friendlier with people since I was last in Yaksha. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen something like that happen."
"I heard once that dark-type Pokemon don't form links easily with humans." Ryoko mentioned, "There's a lot of unique and powerful Pokemon in this kingdom, but many of them are too wild to ever form a link with a warrior."
"Lots of Pokemon can't be bonded with." Ryo commented. This was true for a lot of Pokemon. There were Pokemon like Miltank, Mudbray and Farfetch'd. They could be domesticated and raised for slaughter, but you would never find one linking with a warrior and used in battle. There was a plethora of water-types that had a similar fate, fished and eaten. Then there were Pokemon that just were too wild or too aloof to ever bond with. "Look at dragons. Only the greatest warriors are capable of bonding with them."
"You're not wrong." Ujiyasu said. Ryo couldn't tell which of them he was talking to then. Possibly both. "Pokemon are just like humans. We have many types ourselves, and we tend to reach out to those with qualities we desire and favor. I'll say this: there is a common line that goes through every warrior that has linked with dark Pokemon, at least by my experience."
"What's that?" Ryo queried.
"They're just as dark as their Pokemon."
The group of warriors stopped as two Murkrow swooped down and landed off to the side of their path. They began pecking at the ground, searching for seeds in the grass. One of them looked up and locked eyes with Ryo. He noticed his sister's Espeon retreat slightly behind her in his peripheral vision. Umbreon stayed still and alert next to him. He wasn't moving away, but not eager to make contact either. Ryo would have though being a dark type, Umbreon would have no qualms with approaching the other dark Pokemon. He just kept staring into the bird Pokemon's eyes. They were vacant and glossy. It was as though it had never seen a human before in its life. Ryo had talked with many different kinds of Pokemon before, but he'd never been regarded so hollowly by one. Even farm Pokemon gave more recognition than this. Even so, it kept staring. And the more it did, the more it seemed as though this black bird had him figured out. Then…
Are you lost?
That wasn't Umbreon's voice, nor Espeon's.
"Never seen them get this close to people before." Ryo vaguely heard Ujiyasu say from next to him.
"Either of you find it creepy that they're just staring at us?" Ryoko asked. "I mean, they're really cool, but-"
She was interrupted as the one that had been eating raised its head and let out a squawk, raising up its wings. Its friend followed suit and repeated its gestures.
"Any idea what that's about?" Ujiyasu asked.
"I can't understand them." Ryoko said. "They're not being aggressive, but… I can't tell. What about you Ryo?"
"Umbree." Umbreon murmured.
"Do they like me?" Ryo asked, not sure if his partner was joking with him or not.
"Krow! Murkrow!"
"Bre."
"They think we're lost or something."
"You can understand them, then." His sister said with a smile. "That's cool, Ryo."
"Umbreon told me what they were saying. I'm not hearing anything." One Murkrow tilted its head to the side, then they both exchanged glances with each other. Turning their backs to the onlookers, they took off into the sky once again.
"I don't put much stock in omens, but I feel comfortable saying that was a good one." Ujiyasu spoke up.
"Yeah, I think so, too." Ryoko said with a smile.
"In that case, let's get a move on. We should be coming up on Yaksha City within the hour." The older Warlord said, he and Gigalith continuing on.
"Right." Ryoko and Espeon followed, and Ryo joined them shortly after.
Such a bright light. It's like a sun. How can he possibly be lost?
Was that the Murkrow that had been talking to him after all? A Pokemon had never sounded like that to him before. And if they could somehow communicate with him, then why couldn't Ryoko understand them, too? Maybe he was just imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time his thoughts had wandered to strange places. He'd never thought of himself having a 'light as bright as the sun' before, but he had the sensation of being lost a lot. Uncertain and searching for answers to questions he wasn't even sure existed to begin with. This had been haunting him since he and Ryoko had inherited responsibility of Aurora from Lord Mushoku after his passing, and had returned with fervor when word of what happened with Kotaro had reached them in their kingdom.
He decided to put the odd event out of his mind for the time being. Now was the time to focus on the kingdom, and working to repair the damage that had been done to the people and Pokemon who called it their home. Those Murkrow only served to remind him of all the Pokemon in the kingdom that he and the other Warlords now had to work to protect.
The closer they got to Yaksha's capital city, they came across more and more people and Pokemon on the road. Not thieves or bandits, but actual people. They saw farmers, musicians, artists, warriors, workmen, merchants, and Pokemon of all different varieties. The passersby became a massive throng as Yaksha City came into sight. People were walking together, engaging in earnest conversation, laughing and singing. Some were more rude and impatient than others, yelling at people to make way for them and to stop crowding. On the very outskirts of the city, people had stopped on the side of the road and set up tents and mats, merchants selling their wares and artists painting or playing their music. If anyone recognized the Warlords, they certainly weren't acknowledging them, a stark contrast to the hostility they had been met with prior. Ryo assumed that people were simply in too much of a rush to be bothered with them. Though this did raise the question of what exactly these people were in a rush to get to. With the exception of some farmers that were grumbling about the traffic coming into the city, it didn't seem like any of these people were locals. In fact, an educated eye would be able to make out various attire worn only in certain kingdom, like the white robes traditionally worn by citizens of Illusio, or the muted violets and grays that Ina told him had been very popular in Valora recently. What could possibly bring all these people from such thriving kingdoms to one that was currently in a state of crisis? It was certainly a change in atmosphere to be sure. And once again, he couldn't help but notice a flock of Murkrow flying overhead.
As interesting as the last leg of their journey into Yaksha City had been, it was nothing compared to what awaited them in the city proper. Ryo remembered back to every other village and city they had passed through up to this point. The battered, vandalized buildings, the near empty streets, the anger and cursing. Yaksha City resembled nothing close to those melancholy visions of cities past. It more closely resembled the town squares of the most populated cities of Terrera and Valora on a busy day. All he could make out when he looked ahead was a sea of faces before him. The buildings were standing strong and sturdy with no signs of wear and tear to be seen. Merchants' shops were everywhere you looked, selling everything imaginable. Money was being passed around between them and their customers like sweets. Children ran around on the streets without any fear. There were warriors having friendly battles in the middle of the road while onlookers cheered and watched with excitement. Stranger still was the ninjas. There were so many ninjas out in plain daylight, lounging on top of roofs and against walls, mingling with people. And yes, there was no mistaking that they were ninjas. Black robes, masks obscuring their faces, dark and poison-type Pokemon close by.
He noticed two kids run up to a group of them that were hanging out outside of a restaurant. The kids asked if they were real ninjas, and if they would have a battle so they could see their Pokemon in action. The group laughed, and one of them, a younger man with a Croagunk, stood up and turned to a female ninja with a Scraggy, asking her to battle with him for the kids. She agreed, and the group set off with the kids to find an open area to battle. On the wall where the ninjas had previously been lounging, he noticed that there was some vandalizing done after all. The building had been covered in graffiti. Though it seemed different from the gang tags they had run into on other buildings before. He was able to read the kanji for 'believe', and behind it was a multitude of purple and blue flowers. A highly stylized illustration of a Magikarp was next to it, and above this entire art piece was an intricately-detailed Gyarados. Looking around at other buildings, they were graffitied similar; intricate paintings featuring Pokemon and brilliant scenes of nature, and messages that ranged from inspirational professions that 'nothing is impossible', to more comedic remarks stating 'do not graffiti this wall!' accompanied by a crude drawing of a face that was the epitome of 'meh.'
"What the heck is going on here?" Ryo pondered aloud, taking in his surroundings with awe.
"It doesn't look like Kotaro's absence really hurt this place." Ryoko commented. "In fact, it looks even better than when he was around."
Ujiyasu could be seen to have equal surprise, "I haven't seen this city so busy in over three decades." he remarked, looking around.
There was a resounding roar of oohs and aahs, and then thunderous applause off to their left as they were passing by two warriors having a battle. The warlords turned their heads to see a short girl whose face was obstructed by a Charizard mask with a Charmeleon as her partner facing off against a tall boy in all black and a Zweilous. The two appeared to be evenly matched, and neither looked ready to quit any time soon.
"Those two are amazing. This battle's lasted longer than any I've seen today!" They overheard a woman say.
"Let's wrap this battle up, already!" A warrior in the crowd shouted. "My Machamp and I are ready to take on the winner of this fight!" From next to him, his Machamp flexed his muscles in anticipation.
"Hey, do you hear that?" Ryoko said next to Ryo, drawing him away from the battle as it looked like the young man was gaining the upper hand over his petite opponent.
"What?" He asked, but didn't need an explanation as he caught what had grabbed his sister's attention. There was music. Upbeat, lively music that felt like it was coming from all over the city. And he could hear people singing as they walked along the street, as though they had all practiced this song 1,000 times before.
"What is going on with this kingdom?" he pondered as they kept walking towards Yaksha Castle, and just kept taking in the strange and almost inappropriately upbeat attitude of the city.
Though your fight is through and the battle has been won;
The world still turns, and the story's never done;
As the sun does set, and the day becomes the night;
With the rising moon, a new hero is in sight!
The Aurora Twins and Lord Ujiyasu were not the only Warlords that were taken aback by liveliness and bustle of the City as they arrived. Coming from Viperia was Lady Nene alongside her Crobat, accompanied by Ignis's Warlord, Hideyoshi, and his Infernape. They had arrived by blimp, and as they got off the docking station and looked around, they could find no words for what tremendous energy they were feeling from the city. Though Hideyoshi never found it hard to talk.
"Uh, Nene." He began, "I think we may have gotten on the wrong blimp."
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
"This city is positively thriving." Lady Ginchiyo remarked as she stood just outside Yaksha Castle, accompanied by Lord Motonari of Greenleaf and his Serperior, as well as her Luxio.
"Certainly not what you expect to see from a kingdom that is without a warlord to keep order." Motonari said, wearing a mysterious smile that told Ginchiyo he likely had a theory as to what was going on. She exhaled and turned to enter the castle gates.
"I swear, if this turns out to be some joke on Lord Ryo's part, I'll have his hide for having me leave Violight to come here." She declared as her Luxio followed her inside.
"At least you have Lord Muneshige to look after your castle for you." Motonari said with a brief chuckle. "I don't quite know how my generals will handle themselves in my absence."
"That doesn't help matters, Lord Motonari!" The electric Warlord shouted back to him. He only laughed and proceeded to follow her into Yaksha's castle to meet with the other Warlords.
At the end of each journey, a new path will be formed;
Through great tragedy, a greater person's born;
And when we're lost and fallen, we rise and find our way;
That's the power of the Legend of Ransei!
Swooping overhead on his Braviary, Avia's Warlord was stunned by what he saw below. A sea of people all across the city, more than he'd ever seen in one place outside of a battlefield. Even Avia's busiest marketplaces did not accumulate this many people on a weekly basis, forget daily. Was Yaksha really without Lord Kotaro now? Compared to what he had known Yaksha to be under the shadowy ninja's control, it was like new life had been breathed into the city. Had Kotaro truly caused Yaksha to suffer so? Masamune clenched his fist in anger. How could Nobunaga have ever thought to delegate Yaksha to such a monster, and cause the people to suffer?
But something wasn't right. The other villages and cities he had passed over on his way here were nowhere near as thriving as Yaksha City was now. Was it simply not hit as hard as the farming and mining villages because it was the capital, or was something else going on here? This emergency conference between the Warlords was meant to be a private gathering as he had been told by the messenger sent from Aurora.
This thought brought him back to the twins. Clearly, any ill that had befallen this kingdom was just as much on their hands as it was the traitorous Kotaro. They had failed to protect Ransei from harm, and their peace was shallow and short-lived. It was up to someone else now to step up and take the reins from them.
He smirked. It was finally time for the One-Eyed Dragon to soar to the top of Ransei, and be the one to truly unite the land!
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
"Well now… This is a lovely surprise." Black heels met with solid ground as the Lady of Illusio made her way off of the blimp with her beloved Pokemon, her Froslass floating beside her and her Cubchoo nestled in her arms. Following not far behind her was her brother with his Gallade. Below them, waiting at the foot of the stairs was Kenshin's nemesis alongside his Rhyperior.
"Lord Shingen. Delightful to see you again so soon." Aya greeted as she descended the last of the stairs.
"A pleasure as always, my lady." Shingen responded with a bow, "Though, perhaps not as much with the circumstances being what they are."
"Indeed." Kenshin said as he reached the bottom of the stairs with his sister. He extended his hand to Shingen and the two exchanged a handshake.
"I wonder about that." Aya mused. "It may be that I'm losing touch with things in my age, but I can't say I've ever seen a kingdom in ruins look quite this full of life."
"In ruins or no, the fact remains that this kingdom cannot survive without a Warlord." Shingen remarked. "Whatever miracle has kept Yaksha City going, I'm grateful, but it won't sustain itself forever. This must be taken care of immediately."
"Of course. Don't misunderstand me, my lord. I am completely in agreement that this kingdom is in dire need of a leader. Perhaps they have already found one."
Shingen grinned. "Hah. You think so? And here I was thinking that I would have to return to my own conquest of Ransei."
"That wouldn't sit well with the other Warlords, you know." Aya giggled, "You would have Lord Ujiyasu and Lord Masamune at your throat before you knew it."
Terrera's Warlord scoffed, "I'm hardly intimidated by that competition. There's only one Warlord in Ransei I have to fear." His eyes met Kenshin's. A grin fell across the Warlord of Illusio's face, more than ready to meet the challenge.
"If vying for Yaksha will earn me the right to face you, Nemesis, then I'll gladly put my hat in the ring."
"I expect as much." Shingen said with a laugh. "Yaksha will be an interesting change of pace from Kawanakajima, my friend. I'm almost excited for the opportunity."
At this point, the trio of Warlords noticed that their presence had amassed a small crowd of admirers who were starstruck to see the legendary warriors Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda in person, along with their fearsome Gallage and Rhyperior. This festival had attracted even the greatest warriors in the land to come to Yaksha. The group of warlords decided then to take their leave for the castle, not wanting to attract too much attention with their presence. However, Aya's smile took on a more mischievous tone as she decided to have a bit of fun before they left. As she walked along with her brother and Shingen, she stopped close to a group of children that had gathered to see the two veteran Warlords.
"No matter what, I think you two will have to treat Yaksha to a battle before we leave the kingdom." she said just a hair louder than her usual tone. The children near her gasped and excitedly began to talk amongst themselves about seeing an epic battle between Lord Shingen and Lord Kenshin. She had to hold back a laugh as they walked to the castle.
Ours is a tale of hope and triumph;
It's a song of war and strife;
It's a dance of light and shadow;
A rich tapestry of life!
"I can sense ghosts in the woods." Lady Nō pondered as she walked through the city. Her Mismagius floated next to her. One of her human companions responded.
"I've never heard of ghost Pokemon in Yaksha before." Said Lord Ieyasu of Valora, accompanied by his Aggron.
"I've never seen this many people wandering around Yaksha during the day. This kingdom is usually more deserted than my own." Coming from the Warlord of Spectra, the necropolis of Ransei, this said something. "I can't wait to see what the nightlife will be like."
"My Lady, I ask that you concentrate." Lord Mitsuhide urged, currently not accompanied by his partner Lapras. "This only serves to remind us what dire straits this kingdom is in. We have no time to be distracting ourselves with petty observations."
"Yes, I can see just how dreadful this kingdom's situation is now that Kotaro left." Nō snipped with an eye roll. "Oh, these poor people! Everywhere you look there's anarchy. Thieves and vandals are running wild. People are too afraid to leave their houses! Children are living in the streets."
"I don't find your sarcasm funny." Mitsuhide chided her. "Nothing adds up. There is no reason for this city to be functioning without its Warlord to keep order, especially with every other city in Yaksha reduced to a chaotic mess. Ghost Pokemon migrating here all of a sudden. Feral Pokemon that want no contact with humans out in the open. What next?"
"Well, I just caught sight of a black Meowth, for one."
"Enough of your inappropriate jokes!" Mitsuhide snapped, feeling a vein begin to pulse on his head from the stress Spectra's Warlord was causing him. "There is no such thing as a black Meowth! Act like a Warlord, and take this matter seriously!"
Ieyasu stayed out of their squabbling, his thoughts on the steep road they had ahead of them, and what his and Valora's course of action would be.
When all wars have ended, all battles have been won;
The world will still be turning, for the story's never done;
And when the sun rises, and the night becomes the day;
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
Oichi and Jigglypuff entered Yaksha castle and walked inside. She thought back to when they had come to challenge Lord Kotaro for control of Yaksha. This kingdom had always possessed a certain atmosphere of gloom, and the Fuma ninja taking over did nothing to aid this. But this castle showed clear signs of being abandoned for some time. It was dank and musty. Some candles had been lit to break through the pervasive darkness, but it did little to help things. Dust was collecting on the furniture. Wild Pokemon had clearly taken up refuge in here, and she swore she saw a nest in a far corner of the room. Cobwebs hung here and there. There was damage from Pokemon that had found their way inside, and some graffiti on the walls. Though she noticed this graffiti was the familiar crest of the Fuma. So Kotaro's ninjas had done their part to destroy this place even when they were here. What horrible people they were to do this to their own kingdom.
The only light she could see were the smiles of her two closest friends as they greeted her at the door. Espeon and Umbreon sat next to them, each giving her a big smile in greeting. She smiled back. With them here, she felt much more at ease then she had for the last three days, dreading every second she was away from them and forced to think about solving Yaksha's problems on her own with no immediate solution.
"Thanks for coming, Oichi." Ryoko greeted with a hug. Her twin soon joined in. They broke apart, and Ryo looked at Oichi. Her smile fell. The Mamoswine in the room had to be addressed, as it did at every Warlord conference. She didn't blame him for wondering. In fact, given the circumstances, her brother's absence was even more pronounced.
"Nobunaga isn't coming?" he asked.
"I am here to represent the kingdom of Dragnor in my brother's stead." Oichi said, the words exiting her mouth like clockwork. She had grown accustomed to saying this for the last three months since unification. "I'm sorry that I'm a poor replacement for him."
"I'm grateful that you're here, Oichi." Ryo assured her with a smile and a hand on her shoulder. He sighed, "I can't believe he won't come now, of all the times to not make an appearance. I thought he would care about this."
"He does." Ryoko said with certainty, "He didn't come for a reason, I'm sure. Oichi, you're here because he thinks it's what's best."
"Y-yes. Yes, I know you're right, Ryoko." Oichi nodded, "Nobunaga trusts me. I won't let him or you down."
"You're the best Oichi." Ryo said.
"Everyone else is already here." Ryoko said, "They're waiting for us upstairs."
"Come on, then." Ryo took the lead and guided them to the conference room. "It's gonna be a long day. We've got a lot to fix."
So begins a new Legend of Ransei!
Quick warning: Depending how long the other chapters turn out, I might end up adding onto this chapter. This first chapter was originally supposed to end with the Warlords' Conference, so if that chapter ends up being shorter than 7,000 words, expect it to be taped onto Chapter 1 rather than becoming its own segment.
God, I hate writing poetry. Don't ask me how those songs are supposed to sound. I don't have a head for music, and I barely have an understanding of how to write good poetry. I think the verses came out pretty cool, anyway. Music is gonna be a big part of this story. While I didn't do it in this chapter, I think I'll write the names of songs at the start of each chapter that inspired that particular segment, or at least resonate with certain parts of the story.
So that was chapter 1. I am fully determined to write this to completion, and will attempt to make regular updates like a normal person. But there is going to be a hiccup in that plan for the time being. While I may post the Warlords' Conference sometime this week, if I don't, you shouldn't expect anything for a few weeks. One of the new things going on in my life is that I have a job. I'm doing freelance work as an audio transcriptionist and video captioner in order to make some money, and for the next 2-3 weeks, I intend to take as many jobs as possible to get some spending money for my family reunion in July. Particularly, I'm finally old enough to go to the casino with my older cousins and gamble! :3 So I'm gonna try to focus on money making until the reunion's passed, and then get back to doing this.
I think it's gonna be a long time before I really get back into the swing of things, and I apologize if my writing's not up to par with what it used to be. Please be patient with me while I work through my problems and get reacquainted with my lost love. This is going to be a hard road for me, but I'm determined to get through it, and hopefully this story can help me get some closure with what's been going on. I've had this idea stewing in my head for years now, so it should be easy enough to write out since I know almost everything of what's gonna happen starting at chapter 1. That's better than most of my stories. Wish me luck!
Until then, I bid you adieu. Farewell 'til next time! R&R at your leisure.