I finally got around writing this one! And I think so far it's my favorite of the ones I have in mind. Though it did end up being so much longer than I thought... Oh, I also got around fixing many mistakes in the previous chapter (and I felt like punching myself seeing how stupid some of those were).
Anyway, to clarify the ages in this one in order to avoid confusion: Ginchiyo is twelve, Muneshige is fourteen, Naotsugu (historically Muneshige's younger brother, so I decided to play with him a little -just like I'm playing with Yoshichi and Sumire for Kanetsugu) is eleven, Aya is twenty-four, Kenshin is twenty-two, Shingen is twenty-seven and Dosetsu is thirty-four.
I also took some liberties with Aya's title 'the dragoness of Illusio'. In SW, she's frequently referred to as the 'goddess of the Uesugi'. But since Kenshin is 'the dragon of the Uesugi', and since I've more often than not related him and Aya to Latios and Latias (who are part Dragon-type), I decided this would be a little more climatic than 'the goddess of Illusio'. Anyway!
Oh, one more thing: despite both Aya and Shingen being away from their kingdom, they can summon magic by using catalysts (Aya's staff, Shingen's warfan). Of course they're not as strong as they'd be in case they were near their kingdom's Cores/Power Veins. Also, all warriors, even if they aren't sorcerers, have certain types of magic they can use -usually it's one or, at most, two kinds of elemental magic (ex. Fire, Wind).
Anyway, I should stop making my A/Ns so hecking long. So... enjoy the story! :D
Chapter 2: Thunder & Ice
During the final days of Ransei's yearly Grand Tournament, Pugilis' fighting arena was bustling with all kinds of noises -cheers, Pokemon and human cries, tradesmen grabbing the chance of the great event to advertise and sell their merchandise and, occasionally, the squabbling that indicated a fight having broken out between the onlookers.
Ginchiyo supposed that all of it was normal -especially the latter, considering the Grand Tournament was essentially a gathering of every kingdom's warriors and Pokemon. And with the war and general desire for conquest raging on across the land, enmity between the residents of different kingdoms wasn't all that unexpected. And thanks to them, Ginchiyo's ears had already picked up a few interesting pieces of information.
So Lord Shingen of Terrera had made yet another move against Illusio, but the latter held strong. Up in the far North, Lord Ieyasu seemed to be raising an army -for defense or for the purpose of attacking the currently weakened and warlord-less kingdom of Spectra, that could only fall under individual guesswork. With Lord Terumune of Avia currently preoccupied thanks to hostile signs from Viperia, Ieyasu could be planning to attack the Kingdom of the Skies as well. And with Aurora's current Warlord falling all the more ill with every passing day, Lords Motochika and Motonari were becoming an increasing threat in the Southern part of Ransei.
Ginchiyo glanced up at her father, and his expression, the glint in his one remaining eye, assured her that he'd picked up all of the rumours as well. However, she knew that only one thing concerned her father far enough to resort to listening to such stories -Lord Yoshihiro's ambition of invading Violight. The hostility between the two kingdoms was not news to anyone, yet with the Tournament taking place in Yoshihiro's own kingdom, the Devil of Pugilis could make no move or statement without causing too much unwanted tension. Ginchiyo supposed this was the only good thing that came out of a dishonorable kingdom such as Pugilis hosting the event.
Her thoughts and calculations on the matter were interrupted by Muneshige, next to her, shoving his elbow on her ribs. The movement wasn't nearly strong enough to hurt her, but she grunted and elbowed him back with much greater force than he had. The yelp that came out of Muneshige's mouth was one of genuine pain, and he looked at her with a betrayed expression on his face.
"I was just playing!" He muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Ginchiyo rolled her eyes.
"When you hit a daughter of Violight, expect to be returned twice the punch."
Muneshige rolled his eyes, rubbing his still-sore ribs. "I wanted to take your attention away from strategies and war plans and all that for a moment. You're twelve. Act like it."
"I am going to be Warlord of Violight one day." Ginchiyo puffed up her chest, raising her voice a little. "I cannot afford to act like a child."
Muneshige raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm fourteen, which means I'm even older than you are. And according to Lord Dosetsu, we're going to be Warlords together. So if I can afford to have some fun, I am sure you can as well."
Ginchiyo huffed, looking away. "I'd rather be flayed by the enemy commander than have someone like you rule alongside me."
"Now that's unnecessarily mean."
"Nothing it mean enough when it comes to you-"
"Can you two shut your yapping mouths for a few seconds?" Came the protesting voice of Muneshige's younger brother, Naotsugu. Despite he was one year younger than Ginchiyo, he was tall enough to be on the same level as her, and now his dark blue eyes scanned both her and his older brother disapprovingly.
Dosetsu, catching the rising tension between the three children, graced them with a quick glance.
"You three should hold your Zebstrika." He muttered, shaking his head. "We're here to watch the competitors fight -not argue amongst ourselves. What would the warriors of Pugilis say if they see my heir and adopted sons arguing like a flock of squabbling Murkrow?"
Naotsugu's Pokemon -a Murkrow- cawed curiously at the sound of her name, before flapping up from the ground and perching atop her partner's head. Naotsugu sighed, and Ginchiyo's Shinx as well as Muneshige's Starly let out humoured sounds.
Ginchiyo sighed, bowing her head slightly.
"Forgive my immature behaviour, Father." She murmured, but Dosetsu's hand on her shoulder made her raise her eyes just a little.
"My daughter, children will be children." His thin lips curved upwards, and the scar at his cheek seemed to move as he smiled. "You, Muneshige and Naotsugu have a hard life ahead of you. You should enjoy yourselves as much as you can, before the time comes when you will actually have to act like proper warriors."
Ginchiyo nibbled on her lower lip, but nodded.
"Yes, Father..."
She leaned across the iron railing that surrounded the lowest part of the arena's seating rows. Her father would not be competing this year, having sustained a shoulder injury during one of Violight's most recent squabbles with Chrysalia, his right arm still hanging by a sling. However, as one of Ransei's most esteemed Warlords, he was expected to attend and, for the first time, he had decided to take her and his adopted sons with him. Ginchiyo initially believed she would rather stay home and train with Shinx . But when they'd entered the arena, the beckoning of the oncoming competition started echoing inside of her, coursing through her veins. She could hardly contain her excitement -something Muneshige wasn't letting her forget at all, being a nuisance as usual.
'Some of Ransei's greatest warriors will be fighting here. I'll be able to watch them with my own two eyes.'
The thought made her heart beat excitedly, and her eyes widened with expectation -one of the few times she'd let the child inside of her take control. With the battle about to start, she couldn't bother worrying about it.
The massive crowd started quieting down little by little, as Lord Yoshihiro himself in all his glory strode towards the middle of the stadium, kicking up a small cloud of sand as he walked. With the sun hidden between thick rainclouds -that would certainly not put a stop to the event, as had been proven countless of times in the past- his shadow was barely visible against the ground, yet that did not take away any of his imposingly large stature. Ginchiyo bit back a sting of hatred as she took him in -and by the way Dosetsu's rugged face tensed, she could say he felt the same.
The Lord lifted his giant hand, and every last bit of noise from the crowd dying out immediately.
"Venerable Warriors, Warlords, and Pokemon," Yoshihiro started, his voice booming throughout the whole stadium much alike Violight's constant thunders "I welcome you all to the semi-final round of this year's Tournament. It has been, and still is, an honour for me to be the host of an event that brings together all of us, blurring the borders of our kingdoms, even if it is only for a couple of weeks each year. However, I will not waste your time with meaningless speeches. We're all here to watch a battle -and this is what we're gonna do. With no further delay, I will now present you two of the four remaining contestants that will be battling today. Four Warriors, two battles. The victors of each duel will face each other tomorrow, during the grand final round of Ransei's Tournament!"
Yoshihiro paused, yet none of the spectators dared breathe as he took a few steps backwards, gesturing to the two Warlords that had come to stand behind him as he spoke -a man and a woman, with a Rhyperior and a Froslass respectively waiting by their sides.
The Devil of Pugilis lifted his right arm, gesturing to the masked man, "On my right, please welcome Lord Shingen, the King of the Desert, Warlord of Terrera!"
Even Ginchiyo flinched at the sudden wave of noise that exploded through the arena at the sound of Lord Shingen's name, every warrior and Pokemon breaking into loud cheers and clapping -that too, however, died down soon enough as Yoshihiro raised his left hand, to introduce the second contestant.
"And on my left, please welcome his opponent; Lady Aya, the Dragoness of Illusio, one of her kingdom's sibling Warlords!"
Applausing and cheers rippled through the crowd again, though Ginchiyo was surprised to notice them being considerably milder than what Shingen had received. She frowned -she'd heard of Lady Aya only once before, and while her knowledge about Lord Shingen wasn't far greater, she struggled to believe the Illusian would have any chances against such a fearsome opponent.
Next to her, Muneshige whistled softly, catching her attention.
"Would you look at that. She truly must be as powerful as the stories paint her, if she's managed to get up to the semi-finals." The boy muttered, causing Ginchiyo to raise an eyebrow.
"You've heard of her?" She asked, hesitant to admit that her knowledge on the matter was limited.
"Who hasn't?" Muneshige replied, causing her to frown again -was she the only one that knew nothing of the Lady in question and her achievements? "She's Lord Kenshin's bastard sister."
Ginchiyo heard Dosetsu grumble at Muneshige's remark.
"Mind your tongue, son." He scolded him. "She's one of Ransei's most fearsome sorcerers and has been doing battle for more years than you've been able to walk and speak."
Muneshige shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that her mother wasn't Lord Tamekage's wife."
"You know, brother" Naotsugu joined the conversation in a seemingly bored manner "I hear Lord Kenshin is extremely protective of his sister, just as she's of him. If anybody from Illusio hears you and Lord Kenshin decides to start a war with Violight, I'll be blaming you."
"You do need to work on your sense of humour, Naotsugu."
Ginchiyo ignored the brothers' exchange of verbal projectile, and returned her attention back to the contestants. As the two Warlords moved to take their position in their respective sides of the battlefield, she was able to study them better.
Lord Shingen looked truly fearsome, his red mask covering most of his face, its horned appendixes and white mane granting him the appearance of an actual devil. He was dressed in red and black and gold, Terrera's national colours, his gloved hand clutching the handle of a massive iron warfan, painted with Terrera's official symbol -Groudon's head with the symbols for 'Wind, Earth, Fire' etched around it. His female Rhyperior, almost twice his size, positioned herself in front of him and bared its fangs, ready to crush her opponent.
Lady Aya, to Ginchiyo's surprise, looked equally intimidating despite completely lacking Shingen's massive bulk. Yet she walked with an air of control and determination, dressed in a white kimono with a golden sash tied around her waist, while the white-and-silver cape that flapped behind her was adorned with Illusio's emblem, the silhouettes of Latios and Latias, embroidered with golden thread across the white fabric. Her weapon was a bladed staff, painted gold and white, and her Froslass was hovering in front of her, her unblinking golden eyes fixed on Rhyperior, unnervingly calm.
The type matchup could prove destructive for both opponents, Ginchiyo mused. Froslass's Ice held the upper hand against Rhyperior's Ground -but the latter's Rock would be a massive obstacle for the former. And Froslass's Ghost would be of no good against a behemoth such as Rhyperior.
"This is going to be fun!" Muneshige fistbumped the air, as the rest of the crowd had begun cheering again. "Who're you gonna bet on, Ginchiyo?"
Ginchiyo thought about it for a few seconds, eyes lingering on the Warlords -both of which seemed ready to crush each other. Ginchiyo caught Aya looking towards the back of the stadium, eyes fixed on a tall, white-haired man -Lord Kenshin, it had to be. Both nodded at each other, then Aya turned her back at him, locking eyes with Shingen once more.
"Statistically speaking", Naotsugu stated "both of them are equally qualified to win. Lord Shingen's physical strength could be a huge drawback for Lady Aya. But she's a sorcerer, which mean she doesn't need to get near him to land a hit. As for their Pokemon, each can be proved a fearsome opponent for the other -but I'd say Rhyperior has the advantage here. Landing a single Rock Wrecker on Froslass would mean instant victory, but Froslass will have to land at least a couple of Blizzards on her in order to win."
Too much math, too many calculations. Naotsugu could be her best strategist in the future, but for now he was plainly confusing her. She tuned to look at Muneshige.
"I place my bet on Lady Aya."
Muneshige grinned. "I'm gonna go for Lord Shingen, I think. What are we betting on?"
"If Lord Shingen wins, I'll do your homework for the week. If Lady Aya wins, you'll do mine."
Hearing the two agree on it, Dosetsu cast them a wary look -did none of them even consider he was able to hear them loud and clear? Well, he'd certainly have a word with their tutors once the Tournament was over. Regardless, he figured this could wait, and turned to look at the start of the duel.
Yoshihiro had just lowered his hand, which was the signal for the opponents to make a move towards each other. Yet none of them budged an inch. They only stood completely still, both them and their Pokemon staring at each other.
Aya was the first one to break under the pressure -or so it seemed. She flicked her wrist at the side, and Froslass dissipated into nothingness, as she herself bolted from her place towards Shingen, summoning a sphere of light with her staff. Shingen signaled to Rhyperior to watch her surroundings, while he lifted his fan, ready to block the oncoming hit.
From then on, it was plain pandemonium. Ginchiyo struggled to keep up with everything that was going on at the same time -Froslass would slip in and out of sight thanks to the advantage granted to her by being part Ghost-type, and Aya used her illusion techniques to make her self invisible for short periods of time. It was not enough for her to approach Shingen undetected, but it was doing a decent job on confusing him, not allowing him to land a certain strike.
Shingen finally moved, lunging for Aya -who had just reappeared closer to him, and was lifting up her staff in a defensive manner. Shingen's fan became envelopped in red flames, as he moved to strike down on Aya's staff. However, she just skidded to the side, already raising her hand and summoning an ice wall to defend herself. Meanwhile, Rhyperior had landed the first successful blow on Froslass -a clawed punch that sent the smaller Pokemon rolling across the sand.
That distracted Aya, who instinctively turned her head towards her partner, long enough for Shingen to break through her defenses and slam his knee against her stomach, knocking her breath out of her and sending her fall next to Froslass.
Involuntarily, Ginchiyo held her breath, and so did Naotsugu and Muneshige next to her -that blow could have been enough to knock unconscious a man of Shingen's stature.
Yet less than a couple of seconds later, Aya managed to get back on her feet, and Froslass rose next to her. The female Warlord chuckled, saying something to Shingen, who threw back his head with good-hearted, roaring laughter and drew back to his line, preparing himself. Ginchiyo had never heard of warriors holding such merry exchanges in the middle of a fight, and she raised her eyebrows curiously, waiting to see the rest.
From then on, Aya and Froslass were one united whirlwind of ice and light, mercilessly taking advantage of Shingen's and Rhyperior's lack of speed and agility.
That did not mean the Terreran team did not get to land any more strikes -countless of times Aya found Shingen's warfan colliding with her head, just as she was jabbing him with her staff, and Froslass was hit once by Rhyperior's Stone Edge, and multiple times by her punches and swipes of her tail. Yet they got up again and again, still standing after every strike, and Ginchiyo found her eyes glues on the Illusian team, her heart beating as she followed each and every one of Aya's movements, watching as the woman evaded a punch from Shingen that could have easily shattered her ribs, and as she countered with a well-calculated swipe of her bladed staff, tearing through Shingen's armor and drawing a few droplets of crimson blood.
The duel lasted about an hour and a half -with the time limit set on two hours, both Aya and Shingen started trying their best to put an end to it. Should the time limit pass with no victor having emerged from the duel, both would get automatically disqualified.
Aya drew a few steps back, Froslass hovering behind her. Blood was running down the woman's forehead, trickling into her left eye and obscuring her vision, her chest rising and falling with heavy, tired breaths, while Froslass floated unsteadily, as if she was being sleepy.
Shingen and his partner were in no better shape to speak off, the man's mask having fallen down and his black hair, already lined with streaks of grey despite he wasn't even thirty, fell onto his shoulders as a gash on his forehead bled down on his face. Rhyperior was panting, huffing with every breath and having fallen on all four limbs to keep steady. Yet her tail still flickered across the sand, and Froslass was still chilling the air around her.
This would be their final move.
This time it was Shingen who broke the staring contest first, bolting towards his opponent as Rhyperior roared a challenge to Froslass, who immediately answered. Aya gave it the cue for Blizzard, while she lifted her staff to meet Shingen's fan.
Metal against metal, light against fire, ice against stone. A gust of sand and dirt blossomed in the middle of the battlefield, as the attacks of both warriors and Pokemon collided, exploding into light and dust. Ginchiyo, as well as most spectators on the first few rows of seats, had to shield her eyes against it, but she opened them again as soon as she could, her heart jumping up to her throat, beating so fast and strongly she was under the impression it would tear out of her at any moment.
The dust cleared in a matter of seconds, but to Ginchiyo -and possibly to everyone else- it felt like ages.
Finally, the four opponents became visible again.
Shingen and Rhyperior were on the ground, the latter unconscious and the former groaning. Aya and Froslass, bloodied and covered in dust and sand, were the ones still standing.
The air was almost ablaze, thundering with the cheering and applause that burst out of the crowd, the loudest coming from Illusio's side of the stadium. Lord Kenshin -followed by his Gallade- jumped over the railing, landing directly into the battlefield and running up to meet his sister, who he then pulled into a tight embrace, almost knocking her off her feet in the process -yet she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as well, laughing, while at the same time Gallade nudged Froslass, congratulating her.
Ginchiyo found herself cheering as well, clapping her hands so much that they started burning. Next to her, Naotsugu clapped as well, smiling menacingly at Muneshige, who had already started asking Ginchiyo if their bet had included all of their homework. Ginchiyo grinned at him in an almost feline way -a thundering glare that promised she'd take her sweet time enjoying her free time, while Muneshige would be stuck doing both his and her own homework. But revenge could wait for now -she bumped her fist on his shoulder in an almost playful manner, as they both went on clapping their hands. This time, the crowd could not be quieted even Yoshihiro's prescence, who was congratulating both Aya and Shingen -the latter had been just helped on his feet by the Illusians, and was laughing merrily, patting Aya's shoulder and praising her for the fight, while Froslass and Gallade were trying to get Rhyperior to wake up.
The second duel -Lord Ujiyasu of Cragspur against Lady Chihiro of Nixtorm- was to begin later during the afternoon, and the spectators gradually walked out of the stadium, into the surrounding ins that were accomondating them for the duration of the whole event. Only the Warlords remained, retreating to the camps surrounding the arena -as the official representatives of their kingdoms, they were adviced to remain near the grounds of the event throughout its duration.
Muneshige was already prodding her to go and explore the city with him. She didn't really mind doing so, for once, so she talked Naotsugu into coming as well, and after receiving Dosetsu's permission, they ran off, Muneshige at the lead as they headed for the heart of Pugilis' main city.
Ginchiyo remained a few paces behind, slowing down as she lifted her head up to gaze towards the gray, cloudy sky, her mind still running the battle she had just witnessed over.
She'd never forget the Illusian Warlord -the determination in her eyes, the grace and certainity in her every move, the strength of her and her partner's attacks.
'One day, I will be as strong as her.'
Her eyes lingered at the sky, and she smiled with renewed determination of her own, as a soft raindrop -the first of the storm to come tonight, before the day of the finals- landed on her cheek.
'One day, I will be a Warlord worthy of my Father's kingdom. One day... One day I'll challenge Lady Aya herself into a duel'.
The sky rattled with the sound of distant thuder -assurance of the oncoming storm, as if her kingdom's eternal lightning and thunder strikes had sensed her thoughts, and were sending her their blessings.
'One day, I will challenge her. And when that day comes... I will defeat her.'
And there it is! I had so much fun writing this to be honest! Gin seeing Aya in action while she's young, and immediately deciding 'she's the Warlord I want to be like when I grow up' is one of my favorite headcanons. Though the duel scene was the death of me, I think. I've never put much thought into Shingen's fighting style before, so that was a bit of a challenge. I did have my fun coming up with his and Aya's battle outfits though!
I also enjoyed writing young Gin and young Muneshige. I absolutely love both of them, and I can't wait to write about them more. In a future one-shot regarding Dosetsu dying and Ginchiyo breaking under the pressure, I shall take my sweet time playing with their interactions ;) Naotsugu was also fun -snarky, clever little shit getting too tired of his big brother's antics.
Anyway, I should have another one ready until Friday! Hope you enjoyed this one! :D