Draco: I've been kind of behind-the-scenes-ing the first few chapters of this, since they're about 80% original idea implements. I'm going to submit them on a regular schedule until I run out of chapters. Blame Opin88.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

Holy Meteor, that looks short compared to my last one.

Aurora: Locked Blade

Evia was on her way back to Aurora Castle. The adrenaline of the fight had helped her last through it, but once it had worn off, the Warlord was very weak. There were scratch marks all over her body from the stones and twigs across the earth of Aurora's battlefield, and there was a constant pain around her midsection; one of her ribs might have been bruised or even cracked. Her right arm was bruised, from catching the Ignisan's blow; her left leg was weak - his brass knuckles might have damaged the bone - and even as she limped into the castle courtyard, there was still a throbbing pain in her helm, where her Warlord Crown disappeared into her hair. Eevee was perched on her shoulder, nuzzling lightly against her neck as she stopped to catch her breath.

"That were amazing, Lady Evia!"

The voice caused the Evia to turn. She made the mistake of lingering on her wounded leg, causing her to stumble for a moment, but she recovered and raised her hands before her, clenched into fists like an expert brawler - despite the fact that her skills were far from professional.

However, the figure who approached her, coming to a stop at Evia's pose, was not an enemy. No, it was the mystery girl from the battlefield - staff in hand, Jigglypuff at her side. Now that the Warlord got a good look at her, she could see that the girl had a rather soft face, and deep green eyes that seemed to mist in an almost draconian manner. "Your skills in battle are incredible!" she cheered. "I couldn't believe you handled things that well!"

Who...? Her lips moved, but the word didn't leave Evia's lips.

The girl seemed to realize she was being rather mysterious. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'm being rude. I haven't introduced myself, yet. My name is Oichi." She gave a light bow. "My apologies for leaping into the battle like that, Lady Evia, but... you looked like you were in trouble after those three left. I've been on a journey with Jigglypuff, here. I've only now arrived in Aurora."

Evia nodded lightly, turning away. Wincing as she did so, she started limping towards the castle again.

"Wait, Lady Evia!" Oichi's call caused the Warlord to turn as she stepped forward again. "I'm sorry if you're busy... I mean, you look kind of injured, but..." She seemed incredibly nervous. "Um... i-if you don't mind, I..." Oichi took a deep breath.

"I'd like to join your army, Lady Evia!"

Evia's eyes widened, and she stepped back in shock. Oichi winced. "I'm sorry if this seems uncalled for, but... would you be willing to have me?"

The very concept that Oichi had played out for her was a bit unpleasant to the Warlord who stood there. Evia herself was not 'attracted', per se, to battle as a whole; she shook her head hastily, turning away.

Oichi stepped forward. "I've decided you're the one I want to serve, Lady Evia!" she prompted. "Please, let me!"

Another shake of the head.

"I won't fight for any other Warlord!" Oichi insisted. "Please!"

Yet another shake. Evia was starting to feel kind of... pursued.

The mystery girl raised a hand to her mouth hesitantly. "You're the only one I want to work for, Lady Evia," she pleaded. "I'm begging you... please, let me-"

"Just stop!"

Oichi pulled away, frightened, as Evia took a single step forward with a hand raised. That was a mistake, however; the step was on her wounded leg, and the Warlord gave a shout of pain as she fell to the ground. She made the mistake of throwing out a hand to stop her - that was the arm that had held back the Ignisan's blow, the arm that had been limp at her side so as to not stress it, and her cry amplified as she fell to the ground, causing her Warlord Crown to collide with the stone paving of the courtyard. A shriek of pain escaped her before she could stop it, and Oichi stepped back, frightened, as the Evia tried to get to her feet.

"Please, don't move," Oichi pleaded, kneeling next to her with her staff tall at her side. "Hold still, just let me help you." Carefully, she lowered the staff, letting her hand slip up the shaft until she gripped it just below the head. With practiced movements, she held the staff over Lady Evia - and three drops of pure, clean water fell from the staff's head, falling onto her torso.

Evia raised her unharmed arm over the connection - but her eyes widened as the water soaked into her skin - and the bruises and cuts over her torso seemed to heal. She raised her gaze to Oichi with a look of shock in her eyes, seeing a strange calm in the girl's eyes.

"Just tell me where it hurts," Oichi insisted.

The Warlord didn't say a word, but instead she let her hand drift, beckoning to her left leg.

Carefully, Oichi raised her staff over the limb, letting a few drops of water fall across it, and Evia winced as the bone within shifted slightly, a faint crack closing upon it.

She raised her hand over her right arm, a gasp of pain passing as she inadvertedly touched the center of the bruise.

Oichi held her staff near it, letting the water fall as the bruises healed.

Nervously, Evia raised a hand over her stomach, this time careful not to connect with it.

Her mysterious healer let a fair drizzle cover it, and a shout emerged this time as what was now decidedly a cracked rib closed in place.

Now Evia drifted her hand over her head, waving over it.

Oichi let a few drops fall into her hair, soaking into her helm, and as one drop fell down her face Evia almost looked... heavenous.

The rest of the wounds were just light scratches, not important enough to waste time with. Evia closed her eyes and got to her feet, surprised to not feel pain from it. Oichi got to her feet as well, and there was a long silence between them.

"...Thanks."

Oichi shook her head. "Don't mention it," she insisted. "I'm sorry... I'll leave now." She turned away, stepping towards the exit to the courtyard with Jigglypuff at her side.

Evia felt absolutely cruel all of a sudden. This mysterious girl had just helped her fight off attackers and healed wounds that she had no part in causing, even by mistake; and Evia was turning down her offer of help. She herself was not particularly attracted to battle, especially on such a grand scale as this, but there was nothing wrong with an extra hand, especially a medic as skilled as she was.

With quick steps, the Warlord made her way up to Oichi and set a hand on her shoulder. The mystery girl turned, staff in hand, with a look of confusion. "Is something wrong?" she prompted. "Did I miss something?"

Evia shook her head. Without a word, she beckoned Oichi forward and started towards the castle. Oichi's eyes widened in surprise, and a small smile rose on her face. "You mean...? Lady Evia, are you saying you'll let me join you?"

The Warlord turned to her and nodded.

A broad smile arced across Oichi's face. With fast movements, she shot forward and took Lady Evia's hand between her own, shaking it gratefully and bowing. "Th-thank you!" she exclaimed. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Evia pulled her hand away in shock, a nervous smile on her own face. Oichi stepped away awkwardly, bowing again. "Thank you," she said once more. "As a Warrior, I swear I will give my all in your service."

Half a moment passed before her smile fell, replaced with a displeased frown. "But this is worrying," she admitted. "Those Ignisan Warriors... It seems the flames of conflict have started to blaze even here..."

+x+x+x+

The reigon of Ransei...

An area inhabited by Warriors, those privileged few capable

of communicating wordlessly with Pokémon.

In Ransei, there is a tale of yore,

passed down from generation to generation:

If any one Warlord can unite the seventeen kingdom of Ransei,

the legendary Pokémon who created Ransei shall reveal itself.

The Warriors of the land all believe that this tale is true.

Indeed, it is what drives them all.

And as a result, countless battles are fought

for control of the kingdoms of Ransei.

+x+x+x+

"Don't you have a weapon?"

They were already in the medicine hall of Aurora Castle. Oichi had advised that she bandage her arm and leg to let them heal properly; the water treatment repaired the damage, but in return made the affected areas more sensitive. Eevee and Jigglypuff were at the edges of the room, apparently engaging in conversation. Her question caused Evia to stop wrapping her arm and turn, a confused look on her face.

"I'm sorry," Oichi insisted, "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, most of the Warlords in Ransei carry a weapon on them. It's a symbol of status, but they're expected to use it in battle, too. I thought you just had a small blade and were hiding it to keep things sort of fair, since those were just a couple of rookie Warriors, but it doesn't look like you carry a weapon."

Evia seemed somewhat surprised, glancing at her hand curiously. A brief moment passed; then she finished wrapping her arm, cut the bandage, and set it down. Her leg had already been wrapped, and quickly Evia got to her feet and made her way out of the medicine hall. Confused, but curious, Oichi got to her feet and followed the Warlord as she made her way through the halls of the castle, eventually arriving at a door with a menacing χ mark across its surface.

Oichi gave a nervous laugh. "Subtle," she mused.

Evia angled her head from side to side before setting a hand on the center of the χ.

A ridiculous flare of energy tore across the mark, and Oichi gave a yelp as it vanished, leaving four triangular pieces of metal where the door had been. The two side pieces slid into the wall at a downward angle; the top piece seemed to fold to the sides, while the bottom only fell into the floor. Evia lowered her hand, unfazed, and only stepped into the chamber with an air of determination. Hesitantly, Oichi stepped forward after her.

It was a chamber of blades.

Swords of all sizes were lined across the walls of the massive hall. Some were single-edged, but the variety was most prominently double-edged blades; widths ranged from wicked broadswords to steady longswords to thin katana; and the lengths were all over the place. The largest swords looked like demon-busters or champion nodachi; some of the smaller ones were more akin to knives.

"Holy-" Oichi held her hands to her mouth in shock. "Beloved of Antimatter, what is this?"

Evia didn't even react, instead walking further in. The smaller weapons were on the left, the larger on the right; they balanced out in size towards the end of the hall, and Evia only stepped forward, making her way towards the end of the hall.

Oichi glanced around before seeing her Warlord walking away. "Wait, Lady Evia!" she called, stepping forward. "You shouldn't just... start for any size! You ought to balance the different weapons and-"

"I have."

The quiet, but firm statement caused Oichi to fall quiet as Evia continued towards the end of the hall. Sitting there, on an ornate crimson stand, was a sword. It was rather simple, as far as swords go - a meter-long blade, covered by a sheath of soft cobalt with a faded leather strap. The blade protruded from a simple hilt of deep red, about five centimeters on either side, and the handle was wrapped in simple brown leather.

Evia took a deep breath; then she reached forward and took the blade by the handle.

A practiced hand showed itself as Evia lifted the sword from the stand, the weapon pulling from its sheath with a menacing scream. The blade revealed itself as she arced it out of its containment; forged of simple steel, with sharpened straight edges that cut in at fourty-five degrees to taper to a point. The Warlord was silent and swift, arcing it around near her side, brushing past her garments and arcing it over her head before raising it skyward before her. The weapon gleamed beautifully, and with a flourish she spun it in hand, the blade arcing back past her crown and forth past her leg before she closed her other hand around the grip and braced the blade at her side.

There was a long moment of silence before she heard Oichi speak.

"What about that one?"

Evia glanced at the healer with an eyebrow raised, but Oichi's eyes were locked on something beyond the Warlord. She followed Oichi's gaze forward, realizing they were focused on a structure against the wall. Evia turned with a hand raised, but Oichi had already started walking towards it. With a roll of her eyes, Evia started after her.

The structure was a pair of doors, carved of bright white metal - silver, maybe? Oichi wasn't sure. They seemed to be the entrance to a separate room, about three meters out of the wall, and were closed by shimmering chains that seemed to be somewhere between gold and bronze, arced into another χ. In the center, impaled through the chains, was a powerful-looking blade.

It was much like the one in Evia's hand; the blade was a meter long and double-edged, the hilt was only about five centimeters to either side. However, this one was much more ornate; the blade was of a slightly more reflective metal than that of the door, slightly wider than Evia's blade, and covered in ornate silver markings. The hilt was a stunning gold, with a beautiful white crystal gleaming in the middle, and was formed from heavenly curves rather than a straight edge; the handle was wrapped in black leather with silver patterns across it.

"This is... beautiful," Oichi observed. "Why wouldn't you use this? I mean, you're a Warlord. You should use a weapon that fits your status. Why don't you...?"

She turned back to see Evia looking at the blade with a very displeased look on her face. Upon Oichi's turning, she beckoned to the blade with her empty hand. Oichi was quiet for a moment before she realized what the gesture meant. "Wait, me?" she prompted. "Wha- no, I shouldn't. I'm not a fighter, I'm-"

Evia motioned her head towards the chained weapon.

Oichi fell quiet, turning back to the doors. With a nervous shake throughout her body, she reached out and closed her hand around the handle, pulling on it. The chains held fast. Confused, she grabbed it with both hands and pulled again, angling it so she was pulling towards herself and causing the blade to clink against the doors; but still it wouldn't come out, or even move.

Now Evia set a hand on Oichi's arm, causing her to pull away. She took the sword in her right hand by the blade with her left, careful not to press either edge to her skin, and held it out to the healer, who nervously accepted it by the handle and quickly laid it flat on her palms. Oichi then watched as Evia reached out and gripped the blade by the handle, her arm going tense.

A moment passed; then Evia released the blade, letting it fall still, and turned back to Oichi. With a swift hand, she took the blade on Oichi's palms by the handle and quickly lifted it right in front of Oichi's face, clipping the tip of a lock of hair without so much as brushing the medic's skin; then she held the blade at her side and stepped towards the stand, picking up the sheath and slinging it over her shoulder. She slipped the sword into the sheath before gripping the strap and tightening it around her body, glancing back at Oichi. The healer gazed at the chained blade for only a moment longer before stepping towards the Warlord.

Once the sheath was tight on her back, Evia made her way out of the room, with Oichi hot on her heels.

+x+x+x+

Eevee had recovered from the fight with the Ignisans and was waiting outside the chamber of blades when Evia stepped out. The Warlord smiled, kneeling down and hold out a hand for the little quadruped to climb up on. Jigglypuff was also there, leaping into Oichi's hands like a joyful child once the healer had left the hall. The door slid back into place behind them, the χ flaring back into existence behind them.

"Lady Evia," Oichi prompted, "if I'm to serve in your army... I'm afraid Jigglypuff and I will have to become much stronger. We can handle a fight, but... only so much."

Evia nodded understandingly, not speaking.

Oichi noticed. "Is... is something wrong? Did I say something out of place?"

The Warlord shook her head, still without a word.

That only confused Oichi. "It... It's not that you can't speak," she murmured. "You've spoken before. What's wrong?"

Evia bit her lip nervously, glancing down in thought. The motion told Oichi all she needed to know, and a light smile rose on her face.

"You're just nervous, aren't you?" she prompted. As Evia turned to her, Oichi explained herself. "You just became Warlord recently, right? You're nervous because you're not used to your position."

A moment of quiet passed before Evia nodded lightly. She beckoned her hand for Oichi to continue.

Oichi understood. "Anyways, as I was saying, I'm not all that... effective in battle. And Jigglypuff has strength, but only so much. Would you be willing to spend some time training with us?"

Evia nodded; she turned away and continued down the hall, with Oichi following suit.

Draco: I'm going to try and keep these first few chapters around the 3000 areas. Once I actually get to gameplay, then I might let them write long.