Episode 7: The saint's departure

Dark storm clouds blanketed the sky above. A heavy, howling wind threatened to whip the rain right from those clouds, but the Pokémon below them showed no care to that oncoming danger.

They couldn't care. They were in the middle of something too important to care about a little rain. Atop the ruins of an ancient castle that was wrecked with damage were thousands of pokemon, each taking a side of the battlefield. One army stood behind a tall, fierce, battle-worn Dewott who wielded a glowing sword, whilst the other army stood behind two mythical Pokémon, Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele.

The Dewott and Tapu stared each other down with as much anger that their gazes alone could kill. Knowing of their unavoidable bout, Tapu Koko gave a bird-like screech, stretching out its masked arms to release a large field of electric terrain.

In the direct centre of the two Pokémon, a Clefable sat, just about waking up to witness the oncoming battle. She stood up in panic, gasping frantically at both the Dewott and the Tapu.

"Damn you Tapu Koko. Damn you!" Dewott shouted, stretching his sword forward. "You took everything from me! My sister, my father, even my wife! I'll kill you!"

"Then come. Attack me if you dare," Tapu Koko replied in his aged, manly voice.

"You're either too stupid to realise what you're getting yourself into, or you're just so brave you're stupid!" Tapu Lele laughed, floating above the battle. The Dewott roared at the top of his voice and came charging, dragging the blade of his sword across the stone ground as he approached in an arc.

"Rune, wait!" Clefable cried, putting her arm out to stop him. "Wait… Rune? How do I know it's Rune?"

The Dewott ran right past her as if she wasn't even there, jumping high into the air to slam his weapon straight down onto the mythical electric type. Tapu Koko used his right mask as a shield, shoving it forwards to push Dewott away.

"Rune, stop!" Clefable cried again. The duo continued to ignore her, going at each other with deadly intent in each of their attacks. Dewott was stabbing and slashing with roars of effort, whilst Tapu Koko evaded or shielded every hit, eventually retaliating with a mighty Thunderbolt. The electrified terrain seemed to join in with the attack, shocking the Dewott in two places at once. The whole thing quickly exploded, rendering Dewott as a burnt heap on the floor, barely breathing.

"Pathetic," Tapu Koko growled, surrounding himself in a crackling orb of electricity. He shifted backwards in preparation for a Wild Charge, sending Clefable to a full panic.

"N-no, please! My Lord Tapu Koko, don't kill him!" she begged, throwing herself into the centre of the battle. Tapu Koko seemingly couldn't even hear her, and shot off at the speed of a rocket. He went straight through her like a ghost, physically ignoring her presence completely. She froze in shock of the moment, able to hear nothing but Dewott's scream of death from behind her.

Tapu Lele laughed childishly, covering her metaphorical mouth with a hand. "That was over so fast that it wasn't even entertaining. But that's what happens when a puny mortal challenges a God."

As the childish legendary spoke, a familiar puddle of dark, swampy waste began to pool beneath her, radiating with black electricity. The puddle stretched upwards until it began to smother her, replacing Tapu Lele's intriguing patterns with dark flames and a poisonous colour.

"You're next, fool. Not even the devout shall be spared," she warned, suddenly sounding a lot deeper and terrifying in tone. Clefable flinched and stared up at her, meeting her pupil-less, soulless eyes.

"N-no! Wa-wait, please! Rune, help!" Clefable screamed as Tapu Lele attacked.

…

The next moment passed by in a blur. Clefable shot awake, sitting up so madly that she fell forwards and rolled right out of bed, toppling to the floor in a heap. She shivered in pain and discomfort, still able to hear the screams and cries she had emitted in her nightmare.

That was until the noise intensified and she realised that it wasn't the nightmare, it was reality. She was whimpering in pain, but those whimpers sounded as loud as an Exploud with a microphone speaker. Every other sound in the area was echoing on top of those whimpers at an unbearable volume, leaving her crying in agony. The footsteps of the Pokémon patrolling the castle, the chatter of the commoners outside, the running water in the castle's depths - she could hear all of it, and all at hundreds of times the volume it should have been.

"Ariala? Ariala, are you okay?" a female Meowstic sung, casually entering the room. As soon as she saw the Clefable curled up on the floor she freaked out, immediately realising what was wrong. She sat Ariala up, getting her attention.

Ariala could barely look at her, deafened to what the Meowstic was saying even though they were right in front of each other. Thankfully she didn't need to, as the Meowstic said all it needed to through her body movements. She put a paw to her mouth and then gestured covering her ears with her paws, and although still struggling to move, Ariala copied. It took a few minutes of muffled breaths and unstable shuddering but surely enough, the overwhelming sounds dulled out and she could return to sitting normally.

"Nier, thank you," Ariala sighed from relief, letting go of her ears. She took a moment to steady her breathing and wake up properly, focusing her eyesight on everything around.

The Meowstic knelt in front of her was an old friend and now a retainer. There was nothing that differentiated Nier from other Meowstic besides her size and the unique weapon she carried, a rapier with a shiny orb on the end of the handle. Otherwise, Nier was the one Pokémon that kept Ariala from questioning whether she was fat or not, since the Meowstic somehow managed to retain a wider belly than the Clefable. But she would never admit that comment aloud, though.

"Good… morning," Ariala greeted, finally leaning back to relax. Nier stayed quiet until she was sure that Ariala was fine, and stood up.

"You sure you're alright? There are better places to sleep than on the floor, you know," she smiled, putting her paws on her wide hips. Unlike other female Meowstic, she didn't look the slightest bit unsociable. "Good morning anyway, your highness! Excited about today?"

"I- yes, sort of," Ariala replied, using her bed to help her stand. She brushed herself off and scanned the room, still more dazed than she thought. Nothing was different from the usual. Her room in the castle was as grand as ever, large, clear, carpeted, and well furnished. Drawers and shelves of trinkets and belongings were dust free, and a large window was just waiting to have its curtains opened to light everything up, revealing its pinkish colours. Everything in Ariala's room was pink – she could camouflage herself there if she wanted to.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you," Nier guessed, still holding her hips. Ariala sighed and looked down. "What happened in it this time?"

"It was the same as the ones before. Our Lord Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele performing heinous acts against Eris. Did you ever get to see Tapu Fini about this?" she explained.

"We did. As soon as we did, she stopped responding to Pokémon. No one could get their fortunes read for the rest of the day. So it's definitely a foreboding of something," Nier replied. "Still though, we can't let it stop us now. You got all your bag and stuff sorted?"

"Yes, I prepared last night. I have everything I need for travel except," she nodded, smiling at last. She glanced left and right in search of something, finding it hung up next to a mirror on the wall. A red fan made of diamond with knives hidden within its folds. She hopped up to snatch it off the wall, clasping it tightly between her three fingers. She swung it like a weapon twice and then folded it, showing her friend how confident she was with it. "Do you have my clothing as well?"

"Vincent's bringing it, so we've just gotta wait for him. This is so exciting, though! I could barely sleep," Nier giggled, raising her arms. "A trip across Faernia. It's been so long!"

"This is not a holiday, you know," she warned, reaching for a travel bag. She started scrolling through its pockets, checking its contents.

"I know I know, but it's still exciting! It's been years since me and Vincent went on a big trip around here, so I bet loads has changed. Plus, you've never been out of the castle, so you like, have to sightsee!" Nier cheered. Ariala sighed and looked away.

"Yes. For the first time in ten years, I will be seeing the outside world of Faernia," she said softly. "This is except that one time. I wonder if Eris is still the same?"

"Oh yeah. I know it's still a while away, but have you decided whether you're actually going to marry Prince Rune or not?" Nier asked with an upbeat smile.

"I'm going to. Not because the Queen demanded it, but because I truly believe in the purpose of this ceremony," Ariala answered, holding a hand to her chest. "If our two kingdoms can begin working together, then all of Etheria can prosper from it. But first, I must see the outside world for myself. Never forget that that is why I am asking you all for help on this."

"And all the more reason we gotta get you to relax and sightsee!" Nier snickered, fist pumping. Ariala froze.

"You set me up for that, didn't you?"

"Ariala? Nier? You girls in there?" a rough voice called from outside the room, knocking at the same time. "I'm coming in!"

Before either of the girls could say anything, the Pokémon barged in but carefully shut the door behind him. It was the second of Ariala's retainers, and possibly the most unusual Pokémon in the world. He was tall, bipedal and coated in aquatic blue fur like a Dewott, but his features were what made him unique – he had the features of a Dewott and a male Meowstic from head to toe, as if his body couldn't decide on one of the other. His fur, eyes, whiskers, arms, and legs were that of a Dewott, whilst his ears, tail, scarf, hands, and waist were that of a Meowstic. Right now he looked confused but frustrated, gritting his uneven teeth together. He only had one Meowstic tail, but it was far longer and flexible than it should have been.

"Vincent! Did you find Ariala's costume?" Nier greeted him with a cheery wave.

"Urf, that's what I'm here about, actually. Keep your voice down, there's guards outside the room," he warned, revealing a length of cloth. "You said you hid her clothing in the storeroom, right? All I found in there was this thing."

"Yup, that's it! Specially chosen and should fit just right!" she cheered, snatching the cloth to hand it to the princess.

"Nier, we left you to choose Ariala's clothing because we trusted you to find something that would disguise the fact that she's princess. That little cloth won't do a thing!" he complained.

"This qualifies as clothing?" Ariala muttered, examining the cloth in confusion. It was more like a scarf if anything. Pure red, long, and with a cute bow tie sewed onto it.

"Course it will! I chose it because it'll make her look sexy," Nier replied.

"Sexy? What the- that's not what we were going for!" Vincent raised his voice.

"It wasn't exactly, but its genius! Everyone who knows the princess knows how devout she is. No one would ever expect her to look attractive,"

"Nier, we're supposed to detract attention, not attract attention. And for the love of the Gods, what about this thing would make a Pokémon look 'sexy' of all things?"

"Ah I guess you wouldn't understand it. It's a lady thing. I wouldn't expect you to have a fashion sense,"

"What? How the- look, forget it. There is no way that we're travelling Faernia with Ariala wearing this ridiculous-"

"Is this how I'm supposed to wear it?" Ariala interrupted, revealing that she had put on the cloth anyway. She had tied it around her waist like a belt, ensuring that it just about covered her crotch. The bow stuck out on her left, acting as a sort of pocket which she could slip her fan into. Both Meowstic stared in disbelief, gawking at her. "Well it's true that I don't know about this whole 'sexy' thing, but it must be working. Both of you are staring right at my legs."

"N-no I wasn't!" Vincent cried, turning away to hide a blush.

"See Vincent? It's perfect!" Nier laughed, making him groan. She ignored his embarrassment to jump on him, wrapping her legs around his waist to latch herself to him. Surprisingly enough, they didn't fall over.

"Wa-wait, N-Nier! What are you-"

"Ha ha, no need to be nervous now, little man. We're all mates here, so just admit I did good, right?" she teased, squeezing his nose. He stared at her and then slowly engaged her in a hug, more so that he could keep his balance.

"Yeesh, you're such a handful. Fine I'll go through with it for now, but we'll buy some actual clothes after we leave," he sighed. She giggled at him and gave him a half lidded look. "Now get off me already!"

"Not until you admit that I win," she teased.

"Win at what? The only thing I see you winning at lately is an eating contest,"

"Oh har har. Where'd you hear that one, the gym?"

"Was that supposed to be a roast? Because going to the gym is a good thing,"

Ariala sat there and watched them exchange insults back and forth, taking notice of the duo's slow descent into affection. For some reason she found herself giggling at them and then eventually laughing out loud, which finally brought them to quiet.

"Sorry, you two never stop, do you? But it's intriguing to see," she said, still giggling a little. "The only married couple I know are the two Pokémon that argue the most over the smallest of things. It goes against everything my tutors taught me."

"That's not funny though! Your highness, are you really going to travel wearing that… whatever that is?" Vincent cried.

"You're staring at my legs again, so yes, I am. It clearly functions as intended," she replied. Vincent palmed his face while Nier gave him a cheeky look. "Also, please call me Ariala from here on out."

"That's no better than calling you 'your highness'!"

"The aim of this is to blend in, not to directly hide myself. After all, we're going out to meet Prince Rune," she explained. Vincent sighed.

"Fine, you win," he said with a shrug.

"Yes! In your face!"

"Not you, damn it!"

"Do you have your weapon, Vincent? If you do, we can leave now," Ariala asked. Vincent seemed to switch mood suddenly, looking stern about something.

"Not with me, but I can sort that out. You two depart as intended, and I'll catch up," he said, leaving quickly.

"Vincent?"

"He's fine. Shall we go, then?" Nier proposed, taking the princess' hand. Ariala reluctantly agreed, ensuring that she was wearing her travel bag properly. The duo drew the curtains of the large window at last, revealing that it was a window built on top of a glass door that led out onto a small balcony. Said balcony overlooked a dense forest and was high enough to touch the clouds, leaving mainland civilisation an indeterminate distance away.

"Why didn't Vincent come prepared?" Ariala wondered, eying the scenery.

"He did. Since he's a hybrid, it causes a bit of trouble when he's in public. She he keeps his own disguise elsewhere," Nier replied.

"A hybrid? What's a hybrid?" she asked again, pointing at something below. "Down there. We can land down there."

"We dunno how they come about, but they're a combination of two Pokémon together. Vincent's sorta like a Dewott fused with a Meowstic. He can't use Pokémon attacks, but it does make him super strong," Nier explained. She took Ariala's hand again and whispered a countdown with her, jumping off the balcony upon reaching zero.

Wind quickly picked up and ruffled their fur out of place as their descent picked up speed, but Nier rectified that by releasing her psychic, having to lift up her ears to do so. Both her and Ariala had light blue outlines around them as Nier controlled their descent, Ariala helping herself out by fluttering her small wings. They landed amongst the trees where Ariala had pointed to safe and sound.

"Phew. I will be counting on you both from here on out. It's quite embarrassing that I don't know my way around my own home city," Ariala stated, examining her new surroundings. Curiosity ate at her like a child in a theme park, as she wanted to just lose herself amongst the quiet trees and plant life around her. The ground was soft and loamy, almost completely made out of soil which grew a variety of flowers and tree sprouts. The wind was pleasant, refreshing and light on the rustling trees. Even the sunlight that poked through the overhead leaves wasn't too bright or hot; the whole area giving her a sense of relaxation she wasn't expecting to have.

"I'm serious about that sightseeing stuff, you know. It'd be better if you led the way and stuff!" Nier giggled. She led the way anyway, prompting the Clefable to follow.

"So this is it. This is really happening. If we get far away enough today, we will never return to this castle until we're certain of why this proposal was made," Ariala thought to herself, staring at the ground. She recalled the time in which the marriage proposal was even announced to her, long after it had been discussed and confirmed. The other royals had made a big deal out of it anyway, giving Ariala an audience and all, but had prevented her from actually giving any input to it by any means possible. Any and all questions she gave had been dodged and left unanswered until it practically became a royal order. "I just cannot understand it. Since that kidnapping, I've been confined to Castle Faernia for my safety, but then they throw all of that away by forcing me to marry Prince Rune? Is there some great ulterior motive that I possibly cannot understand?"

She looked forward as she recalled the Queen's blank expression during the entire audience. Interpreters had to speak for the Queen, and nothing they said had bothered her enough to react in any way whatsoever. "Queen Magearna… if unity of our planets is what you truly seek, then I will not let you down."

Her thoughts killed more time than expected, and they soon made it to the first leg of their journey: the city that Castle Faernia overlooked. Ariala's thoughts drowned to nothing as she gazed around at the unfamiliar skyscrapers that built up this city, still curious about it all. The green theme of the forest had transformed into an attractive silver and white theme to make up roads, streetlights, fountains, and all sorts of other urban attractions. What caught Ariala's attention the most was the thin streams of colour running through the streetlights and the edges of the roads, almost as if decorating them. A substance was going through them, but she was clueless what.

"Welcome to the Tower of the Tapu, Ariala," a familiar voice made her jump a little. A Pokémon that hid its species through a huge brown hood and a robe was stood right beside her. She didn't even notice him turn up.

"No need to scare her, Vincent. But yeah, this is your capital, Ariala! The Tower of the Tapu and the forefront of Faernia's technology," Nier giggled.

"Vincent," Ariala whispered.

"It's fine; this is just my outdoor clothing. If you need me to do something, I can do it just fine," he assured, pulling back his hood a bit to reveal it was indeed Vincent.

He and Nier resumed leading the way, revealing the bustling activity of the city that they were just waiting to get lost in. Neon colours engulfed the scenery no matter where she looked, making up shops, street signs, traffic signals and more. Rails and wires ran through some of the roads which let single carriage trams transport crowds of Pokémon through them. Other Pokémon glided through the air as if they were on roads, having to abide by their own traffic signals and such. Every last bit of technology here shined openly and had those strange streams running through them.

"So you know how we've all been taught to respect the Gods and Goddesses of Faernia? This is what they gift us with in response to our faith. A prospering world that sees little strife," Vincent explained, using his hands to show it all off.

Looking around, Ariala could see that statement held all truth it needed to have to reassure her that Faernia was fine. Every Pokémon she looked at was smiling or relaxed as they went about their business, exchanging polite greetings or friendly conversations with one another. There was a Primarina performer singing to a tune with a guitar, getting applause from a few passers that stopped to listen. Some baby Togepi were dragging their mother along to run after a tram that was waiting for them. A Sylveon and a Vaporeon stepped out of an accessory shop, showing off their new looks to each other. She couldn't help but smile warmly at all the positive activity.

"Wasn't my marriage proposal to help sort out the worldwide issues occurring recently? I had heard that natural disasters and dangerous weather was damaging parts of Faernia and Eris," Ariala wondered.

"It wouldn't affect here, we're just too close to the Tapu. But I believe none of them except Fini are here right now because they've all gone to help out those other Pokémon in need. They haven't been seen for a few days," Vincent explained.

"Wait, the Gods themselves aid us?" Ariala asked.

"Yup. You don't know how it all works, do you?" Nier wondered.

"I knew that our faith granted us the Tapu's protection and power, but I did not know that meant them physically being here to help us. The special fortune telling audiences that Tapu Fini gave us was the limit I thought they would communicate with us," she answered. Vincent cleared his throat.

"The four Tapu each have powers that affect the entire planet. For Tapu Koko, his Electric Terrain provides us with power. Equally, he leads our scientists and engineers to develop the technology that you can see enhances our everyday lives. He's a strict father to us that ensures we never stop being Pokémon, though," he explained. "The mother, Tapu Lele, provides us with forces and law. It's her Psychic Terrain that keeps order and stability in the weather and the forces of nature. Without her blessings, I bet half of our technology wouldn't function as it's meant to."

"Meanwhile, Tapu Fini nurtures us with clean water, air, and well, clean everything! Her Misty Terrain basically filters everything to keep it clean and healthy to the touch. On top of making sure we have the top healthcare, she guides us with her visions of the future, as you know," Nier joined in. "Lastly, Tapu Bulu's Grassy Terrain keeps our land natural and fertile. It's his balance with the other Tapu that stops us from becoming lazy or resorting to eating meat. Without him, things like trees and plants and stuff would be dying all over the place."

"I see. So the substances going through those little pipes are the terrains of the Tapu," Ariala guessed.

"Yup! This city, the Tower of the Tapu, is the only place on Faernia where all of their terrains overlap. So it'll be the best place in all of Etheria for sure," Nier bragged. Ariala paused for a moment.

"We should be looking for that clothes shop, by the way. Pokémon are staring at you," Vincent suggested, continuing their walk through the streets.

"I wonder why," Nier teased, half lidded.

"This is no good. We need to go further out than this," Ariala stated, shaking her head to stop her retainers. "Is there truly no strife, here? Is it possible for the perfect place to exist? I can't imagine the Gods allowing that to happen."

As if on cue, an alarming sound sharply struck her ears in a way that made her shudder. She stopped to focus on it; making out what sounded like a match had been struck, followed by the lighting of several fuses. The fizzling sound of explosives set to go off was unmistakable, so she reacted by readying her fan.

"Ariala? What's up?" Nier asked.

"Don't you hear that?" she replied in panic.

"Remember that you have heightened senses compared to us. If you are losing control of your hearing, then calm down, clench your ears, and focus," Vincent instructed calmly.

"No, you don't understand. A bo-" she cried, getting cut off by the sudden chain of explosions that went off. Despite how far away they were, the blasts triggered a mass scattering of the public around them. Pokémon immediately screamed their cries and began to run away, although some recognised that they were currently safe and turned to stare at the great cloud of smoke rising in the distance. One of the skyscrapers looked like it fell down as well, generating another overly loud bang that made everyone flinch and cry out when it smashed to the ground.

Ariala's retainers both turned to her in expectation of her hearing going out of control, but she was fine for now. Seeing the smoke rising up, she nodded and clenched her fan. "Nier, Vincent, don't worry about me. It's time for me to do our duty as protectors of Faernia. Let's go and see what's going on!"