Twilight. The period between night and day. The sun only just barely beginning to rise over the horizon, painting it a dim orange while the sky remained a dark blue, stars becoming less and less visible as the minutes passed by. The Fairy Realm's populace sleeping soundly, awaiting the hour in which most would wake to start their morning ablutions. Three denizens of the realm had been wide awake for some time now, however, their footfalls landing gently against the soft grass of their beautiful land as they made their way towards their point of interest: The Training Hold. They had the idea to use the large training structure this early so as to not be disturbed by any rules or spectators. This was the only free time they could set aside for themselves and they were going to make the most of it. A few more minutes passed by before they halted at the Training Hold's locked doors. Smirking, they focused their psychic power and teleported into the closed building.
With a light flash and a peculiar sound, the three friends appeared at the centre of the main room that they were oh-so familiar with. Most of the equipment had been packed away in the rear storage room at the end of the previous day, leaving them with quite a lot of space to work with.
"You fought with Intrepid last time." Valor smirked at his fellow Gallade. "It's you and me, Gallant."
"Sounds good." Gallant could barely contain himself as he extended his new blades from his elbows and watched as Valor did the same. "I didn't get any sleep last night. All I could think of was breaking in my new form."
"I hope you won't use your fatigue as an excuse for when you lose." Valor's smirk grew wider.
"You wish." Gallant placed one arm in front of himself as a means of defense and the other by his side, ready to strike. "Don't you dare hold back."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Valor got into a fighting stance of his own and shifted his eyes to the third pokémon in the room. "Give us the signal, Intrepid."
"No problem." Intrepid walked backwards so as to give them space and also to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the imminent battle. "Ready, guys...?"
Gallant and Valor stared each other down with intense gazes and predatory smiles gracing their features. They both nodded.
Intrepid slowly raised his arm up and then quickly brought it down vertically. "Fight!"
As soon as he gave the word, Gallant and Valor were already within striking range of one another. They swung their blades at the same time once they met, their weapons clashing violently and creating purple sparks from their collision points. Valor shoved his blade upwards against Gallant's with all the force he could muster, successfully managing to imbalance his fellow fighting type and following up with a rising uppercut with his other arm towards his opponent's jaw. Gallant reacted with fast reflexes, his training combining well with his now far more capable body, leaning back as Valor's arm sailed above him. Using his backwards momentum, Gallant threw his arms behind him, touching down on the floor and converting the motion into a backflip, followed by a second one and then a third as he escaped the range of his spar partner's pressure. As soon as his legs met the ground from his final flip, Gallant leaped right back toward Valor, who was in the middle of pursuing Gallant, himself.
Gallant smirked as his body suddenly lit up in a blinding flash of light that made Valor hesitate and raise one arm to protect his eyes. Though, still unfocused, Valor was able to correctly block Gallant's attempted blindside attack by raising his free arm at just the right moment and angle which colided with a downward strike of Gallant's blade, the force of impact resulting in a loud clash accompanied by a purple haze of psychic energy. Valor blinked at that. They truly did get stronger. Both in mind and body. Never would he have anticipated such an attack while he was still a Kirlia and he could only smile back at the equally jovial Gallant as they both realized the possibilities their evolution would bring to future battles.
"Having fun?"
"Like you don't even know."
Gallant swung his other blade-arm diagonally at his opponent and the two collided again when Valor parried it with his own. Clash after clash, the two fully evolved pokémon tried as best as they could to get passed the other's defense but their heightened sense of perception made it easier said than done.
Intrepid watched the fight unfold while leaning against the wall and eating Roseli Berries from a small bag he brought in with him, enjoying the show his two friends were putting on. He popped another berry into his mouth as he watched Valor attempt a Low Sweep but Gallant, showy as ever, performed a corkscrew flip over it and threw out a roundhouse kick when he landed which went on to get blocked by Valor putting his upper arms together and protecting his face as he got up from his low attack. He made sure that he blocked with the sides of his arms, as the underside of their arms had become dangerous blades upon their evolution. He wasn't trying to seriously injure his friend... But that didn't mean he couldn't leave him with a few bruises. Valor captured Gallant's raised leg, lifted him, twisted and slammed his back into the ground with great force, knocking the wind out of him. Not giving his opponent any mercy, just like he asked, Valor followed up by swinging Gallant up around him by the same leg and tossing him into the air. Still not letting up, Valor leaped up after his opponent and threw a punch at the reeling Gallade's exposed midsection. Just before the hit connected, however, Gallant's body lit up with and he warped himself out of Valor's range. The airborne Gallade blinked in alarm as he felt his leg get grabbed after his attack failed, feeling himself getting pulled into Gallant's hold, his arms around his waist and sending them both falling back to the ground in a rather painful looking suplex.
Intrepid cringed when he saw that and smiled when he remembered he enjoyed this level of violence, tossing another berry into his mouth.
Gallant jumped away from his floored friend's body to give him some breathing room after that attack. It didn't take long for Valor to perform a spinning hand stand and jump back onto his feet.
"Ow."
"You're telling me..." Gallant held his chest, breathing heavily.
"You're not getting away with that." Valor locked eyes with Gallant and his body pulsed with a series of bright, white glowing bursts of energy.
Gallant's eyes widened and he raised his arms up as a desperate means of defense, the light emanating from Valor causing his body a great deal of pain and discomfort.
"How'd you like the taste of irony?" Valor taunted, his Dazzling Gleam having an obvious negative effect on the fighting type.
Gallant said nothing, instead retaliating with a Dazzling Gleam of his own. Even though they were no longer fairy types, they still recalled their earlier techniques and since they focused more on physical force than special, the fairy attacks they fired at each other only resulted in two very agitated pokémon.
"You can't do that!" Gallant complained.
"Why not? It's a move I know so I'll use it as much as I damn well please!"
"We're here because we promised each other we'd only be practicing our new strengths!"
"No one's gonna promise you anything on the battlefield. Get over yourself!"
"You suck!"
"YOU suck!"
"You suck all the balls!"
"Bite me, Gallant!"
Intrepid watched them bicker back and forth, still thoroughly entertained, chewing happily on his Roseli Berries. Their argument got to the point where they both had enough, extending their blades dangerously and coating them in a purple glow. Gallant acted first, swinging his arm and firing from it a purple crescent blade of psychic force. Valor fired a Psycho Cut of his own at Gallant's, the two attacks colliding in a spectacular, purple colored explosion of opposing energy. Valor didn't let up and sent another Psycho Cut flying at Gallant who easily dodged to the side as the energy blade harmlessly passed him by. At the same time, he heard the doors to the Training Hold unlock and slowly swing open. His eyes widened as Valor's deadly projectile continued to cruise towards whoever was coming in. Using his psychic power, he just barely altered its trajectory, causing it to miss the pokémon that walked in and impact the wall a few centimeters away from him, leaving a huge gash in its surface.
The three trainees stared at their instructor, Edge, who just stared back at them, nonplussed. Then he looked at the damaged wall, shrugged and walked into the room without a care. From behind them, they could spot the two Klefki that opened the lock; Keychain and Keyring.
"Enjoying yourselves I see." Edge commented with a small smile as he approached his students.
"Um... Yeah. We just wanted a little sparring time for ourselves." Gallant replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry about the wall." Valor apologized. "And the close call."
"The doors have been busted by pokémon getting knocked into them, this isn't that big a deal. Besides, your emotions were all over the place so I knew you were in here. That projectile was never going to hit me." Edge reassured. "So... How does it feel?"
They were going to answer but Intrepid beat them to it. "Awesome!"
Edge's attention was caught by the loud Gallade he hadn't yet noticed.
Intrepid gave a spin and did a few poses, showing off his body. "Check out my crest!" He poked the red triangular protrusion on his chest. "My blades!" He extended his blades. "These HIPS!" ...And he rubbed his hips up and down.
Edge stared as his student continued to rub his hips before turning to the other two fighting types. Even though they were all fully evolved via Dawn Stone exposure, they were still young and each of them were one head shorter than him. In time, they would fully grow into their bodies. For now, they could enjoy them as much as they wanted. Regardless of their physical transformation, they were still his same old students. It made him happy.
"Sun's up. Help me get the equipment out of storage. The others will be coming in soon. Before then, we can go over some basics, since you're already here."
"Yes sir." Gallant and Valor responded and followed him into the storage room. Or would have until they noticed Intrepid was still admiring himself.
"Come on, Narcis Prince." Gallant grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him along with the rest.
Intrepid tilted his head in confusion "...My name's Intrepid."
"It sure is." Gallant paid him no mind.
Fairy Realm - Flora's Library
It had been a few hours since the library opened up to the public, allowing for pokémon to borrow books, return books or simply using the seatings as a hospitable place to read. A Floette hovered behind the main counter, handling any and all transactions between customers and ushering seats for those that chose to read in the book-filled structure. The light jingle of the bell positioned above the door frame told her of a new patron and she put on her best smile.
"Good morning and welcome to Flora's Library. How may I be of assistance?" She spoke with a kind tone.
"Good morning." A Sylveon greeted back. She was accompanied by a silent blue and white Kirlia.
"Why hello there, Sylvia and Angel. How are you today?"
"Fine thanks. Just here to return this novel now that I'm done with it." The Intertwining Pokémon used her ribbons to place the book she borrowed on the counter.
"Oh, Sunset! This is one of my favorites. Did you like it?"
"I... Don't know."
"Hm?"
"I mean... I think I did. Let's just say I'm happy I'm done reading it." Sylvia stared at the novel in question, glad to be rid of it.
"Oh, I see. Will you be reading the rest of the series?"
"No, I don't think I'll be doing that. Floor's yours, Angel." She backed away from the counter to give her friend some space.
Angel walked up and removed a hard-covered book from her bag. The book that detailed the origins of the Legendary Pokémon. "Um... Yes, um, I want to make a payment to borrow this for a bit longer, if that's okay?"
"Sure thing."
"Thank you." Angel reached into her bag and removed a few shards to pay the standard borrowing fee. The Floette accepted them gratefully and placed them behind the counter.
"Will that be all?"
"Can we also use one of your tables? We would like to get some reading done here... If it's not too much trouble?" Angel used the book to hide the lower part of her face.
"No trouble at all. There should be some empty seats in the back."
"Just like last time, amirite, Angel? Come on." Sylvia wrapped a ribbon around Angel's arm and led her to the back of the library.
They passed by shelf after shelf, bypassing some pokémon in the aisles as well, remaining silent all the way through. They turned into an aisle at the end of a long corridor and came across a lone pokémon. A Florges with blue flowers framing her head. She was removing books from a box on the floor and placing them in an orderly fashion on one of the shelves. She noticed the two pokémon approaching her and turned to face them with a delicate smile.
"Well, if it isn't Angel and Sylvia. How are you two girls this morning, hm?"
"We're fine, thanks." Sylvia answered before looking the Florges up and down. "Gotta say, Miss Flora, you're looking reeeaaal good. Congratulations on the evolution."
Flora giggled. "Why, thank you." She moved back to give them room to pass by. "Don't make me hold back your opportunity to learn. Go find yourselves some seats."
"Thank you." Sylvia smiled and continued to lead her anti-social friend to an isolated section. "Be seeing you."
Flora waved at them before getting back to stacking books on the shelf.
The Kirlia and Sylveon turned one last corner and spotted a table with no one around for... Well miles is kind of a stretch... Meters? No one around for meters.
"Here we go." Sylvia jumped onto one of the seats and Angel climbed daintily on the other one beside the Eeveelution.
Angel placed the book on the table with a thump and opened it. "Anything in particular you'd like to go over?"
"Actually, yeah. In the intro section, I noticed Lord Xerneas was paired together with a pokémon named Evil-Tall or something like that. I'm curious as to what the connection is."
Angel nodded and raised her hand, turning through the pages quickly using her psychic manipulation before finding the entry they were looking for. The left page showed an illustration of a large red and black avian pokémon while the right had written details about it.
"Woah. Look at this dude." Sylvia leaned in a bit closer. "It looks... I mean... It's kinda... Nah, this guy just straight up looks hostile. I can't sugarcoat it."
Angel looked at the illustration for a few moments before reading the Legendary Pokémon's entry. "Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon. Whereas Xer... Lord Xerneas represents and bestows the essence of life, this Legendary Pokémon brings only death and destruction. This pokémon's power is so great that his ability boosts the strength of all dark types just from his mere presence. Upon his birth, Yveltal made the Twilight Forest his home and claimed the dark pokémon that inhabited it as his children, which is how the Dark Realm came to be. He showed them the way of battle as well as welcomed them to a greater lifestyle not known to wild pokémon. He remained with them for years but eventually left the mainland as soon as they were able to function by themselves. The reason for this was simple: Yveltal was and still is a dangerous pokémon. More dangerous than anything in the word except perhaps the Creation Trio. While an extremely powerful pokémon in his own right, the real danger came from his method of immortality. When Yveltal comes to the end of his lifespan or suffers a life-threatening injury, a reaction takes place within his body, releasing a devastating wave of energy that drains all the life out of anything it comes into contact with, using that stolen life force to form a rejuvenating cocoon and incubate until it restores its damaged body back to perfection. Such an incident had only happened once before. To a large island once populated by wild pokémon that foolishly thought to take advantage of their strength in numbers against the lone dark type. Those pokémon no longer exist and Yveltal has remained on that island to this day..."
Angel turned to face her fellow fairy type, done reading and curious about the Sylveon's thoughts.
"He... Sure is the opposite of Lord Xerneas, alright." Sylvia spoke as she continued to gaze at the image of Yveltal. "That's quite a trick he's got going on... You know, I'm sure they can't be all bad but regardless of their intentions, the dark type Legendary Pokémon so far seem to have a lot of nightmarish abilities... One of them literal."
"I wonder... Do you think he and Lord Xerneas are on good terms? Assuming they know each other at all?" Angel asked.
"I hope so. I mean... They at least aren't enemies, right?"
"I don't think anyone can afford having a pokémon like Yveltal as an enemy. Sounds like even if you manage to kill him... You still lose."
"Hmmmm... I will give him this, though; he cared enough about the Dark Realm to make sure they never fell prey his power. So, we can assume he has some standards."
"I guess..." Angel looked down in contemplation. The book was certainly something but the real thing that stood out the most to her was the fact that with every passage she read from it, it became more and more apparent that the world wasn't such a wonderland she initially believed it to be. Most of the Legendary Pokémon she read about had some kind of dubious story to them. Yveltal and Giratina in particular... But she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop. Like Gallant said, the information it held was important if they were to one day explore the world for themselves.
"Should I keep going?" Angel asked her friend.
"Please do." Sylvia smiled. "We got all morning, let's make the most of it."
The Kirlia nodded and jumped back to a previous section, looking for a certain pokémon that had piqued her curiosity for a while now. A dragon type with a frozen body. The lord and master of the Ice Realm. The Boundary Pokémon, Kyurem.
Unknown Location
"Must... Escape..."
How long had it been since he was trapped in this twisted world? A black, featureless expanse of nothing stretching on forever. No one around to help ease his anxiety.
"A way out... Need to find..."
It felt like he had been condemned to wherever this was for months, years, an eternity. He had no perception of time here. He continued flying but made no progress. He had to escape. Had to find a way out before... They came back.
"Not here either... Have to hurry... I have to hurry or... No. They're here!"
Several hissing sounds suddenly broke through the darkness. Getting louder and louder, closing in on his location no matter what direction he chose to flee in and in no time at all, they were upon him.
"Get back!"
They didn't listen, their hisses now all he could hear in his pitch-black prison. Red eyes glared at him through the dark terrain. No matter where he looked, they were there. Then they struck. From close range, they looked like what appeared to be Ekans with sleek black bodies and hateful red eyes but that was all the time he got to observe them before they sunk their equally red fangs into his skin. It would be bad enough if they simply poisoned him but he cried out in agony as he felt them burrow their way into his body through the wounds they tore into him. His existence was pain and suffering, dropping to the ground and writhing as dozens of them forced their way into his body. One of his claws reached out and scraped at the floor but it did nothing to ease his torment. Before long they had all taken up residence inside of him and he felt like his blood was made of fire. He felt sick. Very sick. Incredibly sick that he had to get up on shaky arms and brace himself as he lost his lunch right there. Only instead of food, he threw up a crimson substance. Blood. His blood. By itself, the red fluid continued to expand around him, drenching his hands and knees, growing wider still until it was all he could see from his hunched position. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, a single eye poked out from his own blood. Followed by another. Then another. One by one, eyes continued to pop out of the surface of his blood, staring at him and blinking erratically. He tried to get away but a pair of red, clawed arms burst out after him and held his throat tight, preventing his escape and violently pulled him back.
The suffering pokémon thought he was going to be slammed into the floor but instead, he fell into the puddle of crimson liquid as if it were a deep pool. Black was replaced with red as he struggled against the arms, the blood stinging his eyes that remained open in desperation. The hands clenched around his throat continued to pull him deeper into the depths, feeling like he would soon suffocate, until a splash was heard and he felt himself fall onto a solid surface. He coughed as he got up, trying to regain his bearings. His eyes looked left and right as he tried to focus. He was in a forest this time. He floated up and pressed on, looking for an exit, any exit from this world. The forest was dark, though not as dark as the first area, that much he was thankful for. What he wasn't thankful for were the red eyes that glared at him from the shrubbery and holes in trees. Whatever they were, they didn't attack him, however, the looks they gave him were so intense that they physically hurt his skin. He had to get away. He flew ahead of himself as fast as he could, the eyes becoming fewer while a light in the distance became more visible the closer he got to it. It must be a way out... Has to be a way out. He'd take his chances with anything. Dark gave way to light and despair gave way to hope. As he reached the light, however, it suddenly vanished like it wasn't even there to start and he was pulled down by a powerful gravitational force. He fell and fell and fell... Until he hit the ground. He cried out in pain again, not knowing how much more his body could take. He shakily got up and looked around. Everything was dark again. It wasn't fair. He was so close to the light this time... He almost made it... But he failed. He deliriously pressed forward, trying to find a way out... Then he heard hisses... They were back.
"No..."
The hisses got louder despite his protests, quickly closing in on him.
"Get away..." He tiredly swatted his arms at the darkness. "Stay away from me!"
They didn't listen, just like all the times this happened. He could only ready himself for what was coming next, resigning to his fate. With cruel fangs bared, they struck for the umpteenth time.
Mirage Island
Darkrai watched Mew in silence. The other critters curiously doing so with him. Mew floated a few inches off the ground, eyes closed in concentration. Two Pachirisu were perched on his shoulders, a flock of Taillow circled above them and some Rattata scampered all around. The rest were in other locations on the island doing whatever. They had been monitoring the psychic type for a good eight minutes, wondering whether or not it was making any progress in its silent endeavor. A few more seconds passed until Mew finally opened its eyes.
"Well?" The dark type asked expectantly.
"Found him."
"Where?"
"Exactly where you said he was."
"Some Arceus-forsaken ditch in the Spirit Peaks." Darkrai spoke dismissively.
Mew floated higher and stretched with a vertical twirl. "You sure did a number on him. I read his mind too. He's suffering quite a bit. By the looks of things, he's been out cold for a few days now."
"Hm. I will admit, your telepathy is quite something else for you to be able to locate Thundurus from all the way out here."
"But of course." Mew grinned. "After all, my psychic ability allows me to continuously move an island, yet still have more than enough energy left over. I mean, do I look like an Abra to you?"
"Not anymore."
Mew paused for a moment and then giggled at Darkrai. "So you do have jokes."
"In what way was that a-"
"Boop." The psychic type silenced Darkrai by poking his forehead with one of its tiny fingers. With a smile, Mew glowed and transformed into a Kadabra.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"To rescue Thundurus. That's the reason I was searching for him telepathically in the first place."
"Isn't he the lucky one..."
"I think his punishment has gone on long enough. Besides, I may be the only one that knows his exact location. I if I don't make an effort, who will?"
"Landorus?"
"Rhetorical question." The Mew-turned-Kadabra took a few steps back in preparation of its departure. "I'll be back soon, guys. Take care of him."
The gathered critters nodded their heads. The Pachirisu on his shoulders affectionately rubbed up against the dark type.
"Those two have really taken a liking to you."
"I've taken a liking to them as well." He reached up and gently rubbed one of their heads, earning him a happy laugh and a lick on his cheek.
"Awwww..." The sound Mew made would have been cuter if it wasn't masquerading as a the Psi Pokémon. "Well, see ya!"
Mew turned to leave as they waved their goodbyes but stopped and looked Darkrai up and down while tilting its head. "You're just gonna float there the whole time?"
"Don't worry about me. Staying in a single spot is something I'm good at."
"That's not funny, Darkrai. It's creepy."
"It would help if you stopped interpreting the things I say as humor."
"You raise a valid point but I'm going to ignore you. See you soon!" With a flash, Mew was gone.
Darkrai sighed and closed his eyes, the wind blowing his hair and body trails around. Some of the little pokémon fell asleep near him to pass the time. He had to give it to Mew. The psychic type held more compassion for their fellow pokémon than anyone else he met, wild or otherwise. The same kind of compassion that led to him becoming a residence on Mirage Island. Thundurus should consider himself lucky. Most wouldn't think anything about the well-being of pokémon that openly caused trouble for others... Himself included.
Spirit Peaks - Great Valley
Warping in, Mew, disguised as a Kadabra, quickly got to work. The psychic type flew down the rocky terrain and made its way into a chasm not far from its location.
"It was somewhere here..." The disguised Legendary Pokémon used Flash, illuminating the way downward until meeting the bottom.
Looking around, Mew proceeded down the crevice, eventually sensing a faint presence. In no time at all, the yellow pokémon found who it was looking for. Thundurus, laying on the rocky floor, heavily wounded with labored breathing. Staying unconscious for this long must have been really bad for both his mind and body, the psychic type figured. Something needed to be done. Covering itself in light, the New Species Pokémon transformed into a Florges. Lavender-colored flowers, just because. Mew clasped its hands together and used Aromatherapy, the sweet, healing mist permeating within the crevice. The effect was instantaneous, Thundurus' rapid breathing settling down to a normal rate as the effects of Bad Dreams were expelled from his mind. Done with that, Mew used Wish, glimmering stars of healing enveloping the electric type's body and, after a short wait, fixing up all his wounds and mending any broken bones. Mew smiled at its work once everything was done, proud of itself and glad it could help before it was too late.
"There. Now isn't that better?" The legendary psychic type covered its mouth and pretended Thundurus spoke back. 'Much better, thanks! Feeling terrific! You're so awesome and nice and kind and thoughtful and every positive thing I can't think of at the moment!' The psychic type giggled to itself. "Why, thank you, Thundurus. I am all those things, aren't I?" Mew smiled brightly before turning serious. "Honestly. What were you thinking? Challenging Darkrai like that... Have you not heard the stories? You could have ended up dead if I hadn't bothered to rescue you. I hope you've learned your lesson."
Thundurus remained silent, sleeping soundly. Thanks to Aromatherapy, he should be waking any time now, only being delayed because of the extensive damage his body had taken. Mew sighed. "Let's get you out of here. I don't know where you live but I'll take you to the next best thing."
Transforming back into a Kadabra, Mew teleported them both out of the Spirit Peaks.
Abundant Shrine
One thing about the Seismic Highland that stood out the most was the small forested area that contrasted heavily with the rest of the rough terrain. Not that the Seismic Highland was completely devoid of plant life but compared to the Abundant Shrine, it may as well have been a wasteland. The fertile land allowed tall trees and vibrant green grass to make up the most of it, while in the centre of the forest was a small clearing with a makeshift, medium-sized wooden shrine, built by the collaborated effort of the Ground and Rock Realms and blessed by Landorus himself when he found out about it. Within and around the shrine lay Shards, Nuggets and other valuable rocks placed in tribute with the hope of great harvests for their fields. Some took it a step further by writing down their names on tags along with the names of their homes and placing them on the trees around the shrine. Tornadus hovered in front of the shrine, waiting for the return of the Abundance Pokémon, as instructed. The damage his body sustained had mostly healed up. Enough that he was able to fly freely again. One of the perks about being a Legendary Pokémon was that their bodies had abnormally high endurance compared to other pokémon. He had his arms folded casually when he heard the pokémon that had him on standby float in from above and took his place next to him.
"Is this where you live?" Tornadus asked, not moving from his spot.
"Not at all. This place was built in my honor many years back and at the time, I never even knew it existed."
"What compelled the Ground and Rock Realms to go this far for you?" Even though Tornadus didn't care much about the sentiment, he was still curious about it.
Landorus raised his head and recalled the circumstances that led to the creation of his shrine. "I wasn't always the caretaker of these lands. If you recall, the pokémon that made this part of the world was Groudon. He created the Seismic Highlands as a means for more land dwelling pokémon to have a place to live. Even now, he still is the Deity of the ground and rock types. While they had enough land mass to build their kingdom, Groudon's Drought ability made it difficult for them to grow any food. Knowing this, Groudon asked for my service in making the land fertile enough for crops to be grown and left me in charge as he retreated to the depths of the ocean, making sure his ability never destroyed what he had created. I didn't have to but, as a Legendary Pokémon, I had an obligation to continue using my power and fertilize the fields of the Earth Pokémon. I had to do my part in making this world habitable for the good of all pokémonkind. Before I knew it, they created this shrine to thank me for my support."
Tornadus continued to observed the shrine in front of him. "And the precious rocks? What do you do with them?"
"I put them back in the ground." The ground type shrugged. "I have no use for them. I'm just glad for their gratefulness. Being respected is much better than being feared. You should try it sometime."
"I'd much rather be feared."
"How did that work out for you?"
Tornadus shot a glare as he turned to the Abundance Pokémon but didn't say anything on the matter. "So what next?"
"Make it rain."
"What?"
"I need you to make it rain above the Seismic Highlands. I did my part to help rejuvenate the land, now you do yours."
"You're putting me on gardening duty?" The flying type incredulously asked.
"Indeed, I am. Be glad I'm not making you wear an apron. You need to at the very least undo some of the damage you caused."
"What are you talking about? The dragons are the ones that damaged this land."
"And as Legendary Pokémon, we have to set an example by correcting their error. Now be off." Landorus shooed his peer with a flick of his wrist. "Please, don't try anything funny."
"I'll keep that in mind." Tornadus replied with a gruff tone before taking off to the skies to carry out his command.
Landorus sighed when Tornadus left, now alone in the clearing. Searching for Thundurus had yielded no results so far. Not only could he have been anywhere but the ground type found it odd that there was no recent activity from the Bolt Strike Pokémon. Crossing his arms, he prepared to resume his search for the electric type legendary. Someone had to. It's not like he was just going to drop in by himself.
No sooner after that thought, Landorus heard a noise followed by the sudden presence of another pokémon, making him turn fast and catch the final moments of a Kadabra teleporting in. A Kadabra being here in his forest was strange enough by itself but even stranger was the pokémon he spent a whole day and night looking for, Thundurus, was right there at its feet.
"Greetings!" The Kadabra spoke and pointed at Thundurus with its spoon. "I believe this is yours?"
The ground type looked at his electric peer on the ground, several questions filling his mind but deciding to start easy. "What happened?"
"He... Took a beating after provoking the wrong pokémon. He got laid out for days."
"He doesn't look any worse for wear from where I'm standing." He briefly looked down at himself. "Metaphorically speaking."
"I healed him. You're welcome."
"You healed him? How? I thought Kadabra could only heal themselves, not others? Are you from the Psychic Realm? What could have done this to-"
"All those questions aren't important. I'm not a messenger boy. I'm a delivery boy." The Kadabra took a few steps back. "All the important questions can be answered by your friend here when he wakes up. I will say this; keep a better eye on him. He almost got himself killed." And with that, the Kadabra left the clearing via teleportation.
Landorus stared down at the prone Legendary Pokémon, wondering what kind of trouble he got himself in. Just when the ground type questioned how long it would take for Thundurus to regain consciousness, the electric type's eyes flew open. He got up quickly, eyes darting around, not yet noticing Landorus even though he was right in front of him.
"Easy there, Thundurus. Tell me what happ-"
Thundurus head snapped up in alarm and he started releasing arching bolts of electricity at what he confused as his aggressor. Being part ground type, they did absolutely nothing to Landorus.
"Thundurus, calm dow-"
"Get back! Get away from me!" Thundurus continued to let the attacks fly, some rampant strikes scorching parts of the ground and some nearby trees. Something Landorus didn't appreciate.
Landorus tackled the hysterical pokémon, pinning him against a tree by bracing his forearm against his chest. Up close, he noticed that the Bolt Strike Pokémon's eyes held no malice like he thought. They held desperation and the ground type could only wonder why. With his other arm, the ground type removed and held up the Reveal Glass to Thundurus' eye level. Not given much of a choice, the electric type was forced to look into it, seeing the reflection of his original form staring back at him from the surface of the mirror. The Abundance Pokémon moved back and watched as Thundurus' body reverted back to its Incarnate Form in a shimmering gleam of light. Done transforming, the electric type held his hand up to his chest, taking deep breaths to calm his breathing and heart rate. He looked up and saw Landorus staring back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"So... You want to tell me what happened?"
Fairy Realm - Flora's Library
The Boundary Pokémon, Kyurem, had not always been the under-powered ruler of ice types. There was a time when its power nearly rivaled Arceus himself, ranking above even the Creation Trio; Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. An elite among Legendary Pokémon. At the time, before most Legendary Pokémon settled on the mainland, Kyurem had planned to take over the as-of-then nameless Volcanic Summit as sovereign of the dragon types. He had many ideas on how to raise it but most of those ideas would always contradict each other. He wanted an ideal kingdom where his brood could live free but the truth of the matter was that every kingdom needed a set of rules in order to function and not destroy itself from the inside out in the ensuing anarchy. Day in, day out, Kyurem flew through the sky across the world, hoping to have a definite solution on how to achieve the perfect nesting ground for his future subjects. It got to the point that he started obsessing over the smallest, most minute details and forcing himself to start from square one each time. Parts of him wanted one thing, while a different part wanted the exact opposite. This persistent and stubborn attention to detail eventually led to him developing split personalities that would wage arguments within his own mind whenever he tried to come up with a growth plan. Sometimes it was hard to tell what he was really thinking. Days continued to pass, the voices in his mind getting more violent as time went by. He eventually started to experience excruciating migraines as a result of his inner turmoil and the voices started speaking to each other on their own volition. It all came to a halt, however, when he felt that his mind simply could not take any more strain and the voices, now with apparent wills of their own, quite literally separated from him and took on physical forms of their own. The Vast White Pokémon, Reshiram, representing Truths and the Deep Black Pokémon, Zekrom, representing Ideals.
On their birth, the two dragons instantly waged battle against each other for days on end, the stakes being whomever won would be fit to create the Dragon Realm as they saw fit but they both found themselves to be equally matched and their battle did more harm to the mainland than good. Because of this, the two dragons came to a truce. Neither would trifle in the affairs of dragons and would instead create their own kingdoms independent of one another. Reshiram created the Fire Realm and Zekrom created the Electric Realm. The title of ruler of the Dragon Realm would eventually go to Rayquaza.
...And Kyurem, no longer being able to fly, owing to his weakened state from the forced separation, fell to the Blizzard Peaks.
Injured from the fall and desperate for energy, he attacked and ate any pokémon he could find in the snowy fields before taking refuge deep within the icy mountain's caverns. The pokémon there were cautious and fearful of him but he did not attack them. Instead, he struck a deal with them. They would continue bringing him sacrifices, ice type or not, to consume in the hopes of restoring his body and he would provide them with protection from any and all intruders, having the entire mountain to themselves under his watch. They agreed and with that, the Ice Realm was born. Kyurem used his new ability 'Glaciate,' sometimes translated as 'Frozen World,' to create an endless blizzard around the entire mountain that only ice types could traverse. Any non-ice pokémon to attempt would be frozen solid and torn apart on contact. Kyurem continues to devour and dream, hoping that, one day, he would return to his prime.
Angel was placing the book in her bag as Sylvia stretched on the floor, ready to leave.
"Quite a story." The Sylveon commented.
"Yeah..."
"Three dragons used to be one even bigger dragon. Who knew?"
"Yeah."
"Ready to leave?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go." Sylvia held Angel's arm with her ribbon and led her out of the library, making sure to bid farewell to Flora who was back on the front desk.
The two friends walked out into the loose crowds of their home with no real destination in mind. They had a lot of free time and it was a good day. Even enjoying the great weather like this brought them some form of comfort.
"Know where Gallant is?" Sylvia asked.
"Training Hold."
"Looks like it's gonna be one of those days where he spends every waking hour training."
"He just evolved. You saw how excited he was when it happened. The emotions coming from all of them was almost overwhelming."
"I wonder..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you think you can ever go into sensory overload if, like, say the entire Fairy Realm all got happy or sad at once?"
"I... Hmmm..." The Emotion Pokémon looked down in thought. "I've never thought about it before. Why do you think of these things?"
"Because I'm awesome."
Angel looked at the Eeveelution curiously. What kind of an answer was that?
"What? Are you not saying I'm awesome?"
"No, I'm not saying that."
"Oh! Say it! Say I'm awesome."
"You're awesome." Her expression didn't even change.
"Come on, say... Huh? You actually said it. Aw, you're no fun. I wanted to tease you a little."
"Yeah, I know."
Sylvia smirked. "I need to step up my game." She walked with Angel towards one of the fountains and took a drink from it.
"Aaahhh... Oh yeah, that hit the spot." She looked down at the surface of the clear water and their reflections looked back. "It's great to be alive, isn't it Angel?"
The Kirlia gave her a quizzical look, wondering what she was getting at.
"All those scary things in that book and all the scary things happening outside..." She turned to her friend with a genuinely warm smile. "I'm really glad we have such a peaceful place to call home. We could have had it bad but life is good."
"We have Lord Xerneas to thank for that." Angel smiled.
"Hey, you're right."
"Huh?"
"We should go thank Lord Xerneas. Right now! Maybe say hi to Miss Fleur while we're at it. Come on, come on!" Sylvia wiggled her toosh, urging Angel to get on.
Hesitating for just a moment, Angel gladly did so, sitting comfortably on her friend's back.
"Ready?"
"Just don't run too fast."
"Relax, girl, I won't."
"Then yeah, I'm ready."
"Okay! And away we go!" Sylvia jogged down a marked path, en route to the Life Tree to pay worship to their beloved Xerneas. Great time to be alive, indeed.
Pokémon Settlement - Afternoon
The Pokémon Settlement. The awe-inspiring meeting ground for pokémon from around the world. The largest stronghold in all the lands that offered the ultimate security and all kinds of services; business or leisure. Gates always welcoming to all pokémonkind. Two dragons were making good use of the settlement's revered hospitality, walking freely along one of its many streets. One of them wore the settlement's means of identification around his neck as he walked side by side with the pokémon he was escorting.
"This is the wonderful and whimsical Pokémon Settlement." The light blue dragon grumpily observed. "Is every pokémon here this rude?"
She was referring to the stares some of the pokémon were giving them as they walked by.
"Just ignore them. It isn't everyday that dragons come here, after all. It could be they're just anxious. Considering..."
"Considering what?"
"Your behavior in the Seismic Highlands."
"Hmph. What, are these weaklings waiting for an apology?" Calamity gruffly stated.
"It might help but I know that would be asking too much from you."
"I wanted to go hunting with Sordid. Why did you stop me?"
"You said it yourself that that you were curious about this place." Bahamut pointed out.
"If only I had known that this place would be so boring."
"I know you like tearing things up with Sordid but I can't bring him here."
"Why not?"
The Garchomp gave her a flat look.
"Well? Why not?"
Wha... She really saw nothing wrong with what she was asking? "Because he's violent, Calamity. Very violent."
"So am I."
"Yeah but at least you're usually in the right mind. Sordid will kill and eat anything that moves." Bahamut raised a claw in declaration. "Let's be glad he isn't wild."
"I was wild." The Salamence reminded.
"Yes, I remember. No matter how many times I laid you out, you kept coming back to try and kill me."
Calamity smiled as she recalled her murder attempts on Bahamut. "Good times."
"Well... We did get to put all those Druddigon in their place." Bahamut laughed a little.
Calamity gave a sincere smile, the memory of her meeting with Bahamut being one she was fond of. Unfortunately, her happy reminiscing was put to a halt when a Zigzagoon accidentally bumped into her.
"Sorry. I should have paid more-"
"Watch were you're walking, whelp!" She bared her fangs.
"Aah! I-I'm sorry!" The small mammal pokémon ran from her.
The Linoone that was next to it watched its friend go and was going to ask for an apology on its behalf but as the normal type looked up into the Salamence's piercing eyes, it quickly realized that such an idea was ill thought out. It ran and joined up with the fleeing Zigzagoon.
"Ugh... I loathe being sullied by the paws of weak-willed pokémon."
"What you need to do is chill, Calamity." Bahamut sighed, noticing the looks they were receiving.
"You would suggest I expose myself to the cold!?"
"No, I mean I want you to relax a little. Look, just come with me." The dragon motioned for her to follow.
The two dragons lifted off the ground and flew towards the outer ring of the Northern District. He knew of a place populated by friendly pokémon where they could get some food and a drink. They covered a bit more distance before reaching their destination. The Comfort Inn.
"What is this structure?" She asked as she landed with a heavy thump.
"A place were pokémon stay for the night or more depending on how long they're visiting."
"So pokémon don't actually live here."
"The ones that live in the settlement have their own homes within the inner ring. This is usually reserved for travelers. That's why it's so close to one of the main gates."
"Will we be requiring lodgings? I do not want to stay here any longer than I have to."
"No. This place also has a tavern were we can get some food. Let's head in."
The two pokémon walked through the doors, Calamity noticing how large they were.
"The passage ways are quite large for a holding."
"That's so that most pokémon can be accommodated. As long as it's not too big like an Onix, pokémon are under no pressure of being cramped. Everything in the Pokémon Settlement is huge for that reason."
"That's something I noticed."
They walked towards the reception's counter, a Chansey greeting them with a friendly smile.
"How do you do?"
"Fine and you?" Bahamut replied.
"Just peachy. Will you be staying with us?"
"Oh, no. We would like to use your bar, if it's not too much trouble?"
"No trouble at all. The Comfort Inn's Berry Juice Bar is always open for everyone. Please, make yourselves at home."
"Thank you. Let's go Calamity."
"Ho-hum."
The two dragons made their way into the spacious bar, greeted by the sounds of various kinds of pokémon chatting amongst themselves. They found an empty table and settled down, Calamity didn't have any use for seats as she was a quadruped. Bahamut's tail was too large for the seats so he stood as well. After a short wait, they were approached by a Lopunny with a red bow-tie around her neck.
"Hey, y'all! Welcome to the Berry Juice Bar! What can I get ya?" She placed a hand on her hip and offered a saucy smile to the dragons.
"Two large plates of Lava Cookies and two orders of Berry Juice. In bowls, please. As you can see, we aren't exactly pokémon of much dexterity." Bahamut held up his claws.
"Of course! No sweat! Comin' right up!" She gave a spin and got to work.
Calamity looked around in the meantime. Gazing up she saw an open skylight which some flying types used as an exit. She beat her own wings, wanting to fly just because. It's something she loved doing ever since she got her wings. One of her joys of being a Salamence. She would have continued to daydream but, after only a short wait, their food had arrived.
"There you go! A mountain of Lava Cookies for two! Enjoy your meals!" She bowed with the serving tray in her paws and left.
"She's loud." Calamity complained.
"I'm sure it's just for the job."
"Whatever." In one move, Calamity scooped up all the contents of her plate. She initially thought nothing of her meal but as the cookies tickled her taste buds, her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. The way the bits and crumbs broke down to mush, filling every corner of her mouth with a rejuvenating, sweet taste. And don't get her started on the aftertaste.
"Good, right?" Bahamut was almost done chomping down his own meal.
She swallowed and stared ahead of herself, not focusing on anything in particular. Then she turned to face him with a glare. "Bahamut... Why do we not have these delicacies back home!?"
"Like them that much, huh? I can buy some more for you if you-"
"Yes! Please do!"
The Garchomp chuckled. "I'm glad you've found something you really enjoy. This trip wasn't such a waste, after all."
Calamity tried to hide an honest smile. "It is quite delicious, I'll admit. Pity I devoured it all at once like that. Had I known, I could have at least savored it. I... Could have..."
Bahamut paused in his meal and watched Calamity go from content to agitated. "Something wrong?"
She inhaled deeply and growled. "I smell them."
"Smell who?"
"The stench of burning pokémon." She faced the direction the scent was coming from.
Bahamut watched as Calamity stomped her way around the tables toward wherever. He sighed, wondering what her problem was this time. He followed after her to make sure she didn't get herself into any trouble.
"She didn't even drink her Berry Juice."
Calamity maneuvered around the furniture and pokémon before standing imposingly in front of a table occupied by three fire types, one of them infuriatingly familiar. They didn't notice her approaching, the Infernape yammering on about some inane story.
"So I says to him, I says-"
"You!"
Scorcher and his teammates' heads snapped toward the sudden source of the voice.
"Ummmmm... Hi?" Scorcher awkwardly greeted, placing his arms on the table and leaning forward. "Have we met?"
"You." She glowered at the Blaziken, Jetstream. He just glanced at her while sipping his drink.
"What?"
"Why are you so strong?" Straight to the point. "Why... Why did a powerful pokémon like myself lose to you? How did you get so strong!?"
"Do you mind? We're trying to eat. And you're making a scene." Came Jetstream's reply.
"This your ex-girlfriend, Jetstream?" Aiden joked. It earned him a deadpan look from the Blaziken and a chuckle from Scorcher.
"Tch." The Salamence dug her claws into the stone tiles of the floor in irritation.
"Easy, Calamity." Bahamut scolded as he strolled up to her side. "Forgive her. She's not good with conversation."
"No shit." Aiden grumbled while taking a bite of his rice cake.
Bahamut blinked at the Charmeleon, surprised by what he just said. With a shake of his head, he spoke. "Sorry for the intrusion. Let me give a proper introduction. My name is Bahamut."
"Killer name." Scorcher gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you. And my partner here is-"
"Calamity." Jetstream finished. "Yeah, I remember."
"Ooooohhh, this is Calamity?" Aiden pointed at the Salamence. "That crazy female dragon you told us was with the Hydreigon?"
After hearing that comment, the ground type finally put two and two together. "You must be the fire types Calamity told me about."
"The one and only Team Blaze." Scorcher snapped his fingers. "At your service. Well... Not right now. We're gonna be off duty for a little while."
"No thanks to your nut-job friends. Attacking the Seismic Highland like they own the place." Aiden glared. "Now I can't take on any jobs until my arm fully heals. It sucks. Oh, and it was bad for mining duties or something..."
The Garchomp stared at the young Charmeleon again and only then noticed the sling his arm was in. "I'm guessing my fellow dragons are responsible for your injuries. If it's an apology you're after, you'll have to take it up with Sordid and Calamity."
"I'm not looking for an apology." Aiden dug his claws into the surface of the table.
"That's good. I don't think either of them would ever give you one. Is Sordid the one that did that to your arm?"
Aiden smirked. "Yes but it's nothing compared to what we did to him in return." He shared a fist bump with the Infernape.
"I refuse to believe a little ruffian like yourself went head to heads with Sordid." Calamity finally spoke. "You lie."
"What? You think that I busted my own arm just to get attention? Maybe you guys aren't nearly as powerful as your inflated egos lead you to believe, how about that?"
Bahamut gave a small chuckle.
The Salamence, on the other claw, growled down at the fire type. "Watch your tone with me, whelp."
"Or what?"
"Knock it off, Aiden." Jetstream held the Charmeleon's shoulder and faced Calamity himself. "You're not here to pick another fight with us, are you? While it's true that every pokémon is welcome here, as a Guild member, I'm still obligated to throw you over the walls at the first sign of enmity. What is it you want from us?"
Calamity held his glare with her own. "I want to know... Just what it is that makes you strong." As a pokémon that lived for fighting, she truly was curious about their strength and where it came from.
"That's simple." Calamity waited patiently for his answer. "My friends and family."
"Is that a joke?" The Salamence narrowed her eyes like she was getting irritated. "I'm being serious here."
"So am I. I get that you want to think I train everyday until my body can't take anymore or that I got some special power up some time in the past but it's nothing like that. I have a home and friends, and pokémon to protect. I have things that are worth dying for. Things I can't afford to lose. Those things are what drive us to fight as hard as we can. And there's no way a pokémon that simply gets off on fighting will ever be able to beat us. It's not just us. Everyone in this room fights for more or less the same reason. We have a driving motive, you don't. That's all there is to it." Jetstream placed the money for his team's meal on the table and all three of them shuffled out of their seats to the exit.
As he passed by the Salamence, Aiden had one last thing to say to her. "Since you got your tail kicked by Jetstream, it'll be imperative of you to take his advice."
"Silence, you annoying little lizard." She snarled.
"Kiss my ass, dragon. And tell that Sordid pal of yours to kiss my ass too when you meet him." Aiden flipped her off as he left the bar.
"Tch." Calamity withheld herself from attacking him, not wanting to cause any problems for Bahamut. She closed her eyes in thought, processing what she was told. Fighting not for oneself but for the sake of someone or something important to you. She looked up at the Garchomp and he looked back.
"How are you enjoying your time here so far? Do you think you learned anyth-"
"We're leaving." Calamity spread her wings and made her exit using the open skylight.
"One step at a time, Calamity. As long as you're learning, I don't care how long it takes." Bahamut smirked and followed after her but not before leaving payment for their unfinished meals.
With the commotion over, the remaining patrons went back to their food and stories.
Fairy Realm - Evening
Gallant, Intrepid and Valor walked out of the Training Hold, wearing their bruises with pride. Their whole day had been spent training so they could quickly get used to fighting in their new bodies. Other pokémon vacated along with them, eager to return to their homes after a good work out. Edge, Resolute and Stalwart had remained behind to do an inventory check of the equipment, leaving just the three of them to chat.
"No, see, a hyperbole is when you exaggerate a hypothetical situation to try and get a point across." Valor explained. "When Intrepid said he felt 'strong enough to beat down six Zangoose' it doesn't count as a hyperbole because I'm pretty sure he actually can."
"So, when I said I feel like I can beat ten dragons..." Gallant started.
"That's a hyperbole because it's just not reasonably true."
"What if I can, though? What if they're like really weak, tiny dragons?"
"Then I would question what you're doing fighting tiny dragons when you could be fighting one big one."
"I bet he'd get blown up real quick." Intrepid laughed.
"Okay, yeah I exaggerated a bit. But I really do feel stronger. We've come a long way since needing each other's help just to take down one Vigoroth."
"Ah, I remember that." Valor smiled. "You made one swallow the rancid contents of that vial. Whoo, that smell was so bad even its allies bailed on it. Do you think its carcass is still in the Brilliant Meadow?"
"Uno momento." Intrepid held up a finger and teleported.
Gallant and Valor stopped walking, wondering what their friend was up to. They didn't have to wonder for long, however, as after a few seconds, he was back.
"It's still there."
"Whoa really!? Nice!" Gallant and Valor high-fived (or threed) each other.
"Yeah. I imagine there are pokémon that would like to remove it but the smell, dude. The smell just won't let them."
"I sure got my money's worth." Gallant stated. "Redolence makes some quality stuff."
"Speaking of..." Intrepid pointed in front of them.
There, in front of a lone tree, stood the talented Aromatisse, Redolence. She was engaged in conversation with a Togetic. They couldn't hear what was being said but by the looks of things, it wasn't good. The Togetic bowed at Redolence and took off. Redolence looked disappointed but waved after the Togetic nonetheless. The three Gallade looked at one another and approached her to find out what the problem was and whether they could help.
"Redolence." Gallant called out to her.
"Hmm? Oh, well hello there Gallant, Valor, Intrepid." She nodded at each of them. "Don't you boys look snazzy with your evolutions."
"Hey, Redolence." Valor greeted. "How have you been?"
"Very well, thank you." She offered one of her eye smiles.
"We couldn't help but notice you were upset." Intrepid started. "Sorry for intruding, it's just how our power works. Something the matter?"
"Don't fret yourselves, my lovelies." She waved them off. "It's not anything too serious."
"Mind telling us about it?" Gallant asked.
"I suppose I could." She beckoned them with her finger to follow her. "Let us talk in my store. Where it's more private."
"Oh, you don't have to walk, Redolence. We can take you there." Intrepid teleported all four of them to her specified location.
With a flash, they were gone from the open and reappeared in her incense shop.
"Ta-da!"
"Oh." Redolence looked around. "How convenient."
"You're getting good at that." Gallant complimented his friend. He was referring to Intrepid's ability to warp multiple objects or pokémon at once.
"Ain't nothing but a thang." He replied.
"Yes, all very useful. Wait here a moment, dearies."
Redolence went into one of the rooms and returned with a tray of small glass jars. Lids kept them closed but lids themselves had open spaces in them.
"Incense pots?" Valor observed.
"Yes, indeed but this are different from the ones I usually make."
"How so?"
"Usually, these incense pots I create serve a definite purpose. Affecting performance in battle or creating an ambience for hopeful mates looking to conceive a child. These on the other hand are of no such use. They're completely recreational."
"But then that means they're not as useful as the others you make, right?" Gallant tilted his head.
"Ooohohoho! You say that now but..." Redolence lit a match, opened one of the jars, dropped it in and closed the lid. The flame burned the compound placed at the bottom of the jars, creating an exothermic reaction and releasing a mist that filtered out through the small holes in the lid. The mist wafted throughout the room and the scent created had an immediate reaction on the pokémon inhabiting it.
"Ooooooooohhh... That's nice..." Intrepid droned. "This may be the best smell I've ever smelled." A tear of joy rolled down from his eye.
"Isn't it marvelous?" Redolence held out her arms, enjoying the scent "This may be my best work yet."
"Will you be selling this, Redolence? You'd make a huge profit."
Redolence sighed. "That's the thing. My intention was to have Jubilee sell a few samples for me in the Pokémon Settlement so I could set up a system there. However, one of her Togetic informed me she hadn't yet returned. My only option now is to wait. The upside is that the compound I created takes a very long time to expire. Still, it would be better for my business if I could get them to the settlement sooner rather than later."
"I see... And you can't leave on your own because someone needs to run your shop." Valor assessed.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Well... What if we did it for you?"
"Oh, you silly boy." She giggled. "I appreciate the gesture but I can't have you running my store for me."
"No. I mean what if we sold your products in the Pokémon Settlement for you?"
"...Oh? Oh! You would do that? For me?" Redolence asked, surprised at the generous offer.
Gallant, Valor and Intrepid gave her reassuring smiles and she spun, ecstatic.
"Oh! Convenience!" She clapped her hands together. "This is exciting news, indeed! But... How will you get to the settlement by yourselves? And there's the issue of buying a permit before you can sell anything in there. Are you sure you boys can handle this?"
"Leave the logistics to us, Redolence." Gallant assured her. "If we can't make the trip, then we'll be your first customers."
"Oh, you sweet things, you. Doing all this for little ol' me." She blushed.
"Leave it to us. We're always happy to help. We'll have a definite answer for you by morning."
"I'll place my trust in you, then." She nodded.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Redolence. Good night."
"Good night, you three." She waved them off.
Walking out of her store, Gallant turned to Valor to question how to go about their plan.
"So how do we go about this plan? I could buy one of them from her but I really want her to achieve her dream. She's our friend and her products have saved us once already. I want to return the favor."
"Which is exactly why I offered." Valor winked at him. "As for the how..." He placed his hands on his friends' shoulders and warped them where they needed to be.
Fairy Realm - Training Hold
Edge just finished placing the last of the equipment in the storage room, having sent his last two students home some time ago. He sighed, stretching, ready to retire for the day since it was getting late. He looked around the room, double checking to see if anything was out of place. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he prepared to head home. Just when he was about to give the word for the twin Klefki to lock up, three figures warped into the room. He blinked, wondering what his students could possibly want at this time.
"Isn't it a little late for training?"
"It's never too late for training but that's not why we're here." Valor replied.
"Why are you here then?"
"We want to borrow your Pokémon Settlement ID."
"What?"
"You know, that circular thing depicting a claw, paw and fin." Intrepid reminded.
"I know what you're talking about, my question is why do you want it all of a sudden?"
"We want to do a favor for Redolence that requires it." Gallant explained. "She has this new product she wants to sell in the Pokémon Settlement but Miss Jubilee isn't around... So we said we could try and help her."
"And now you're here hoping I'd say 'yes' because you already promised Redolence, right?" He rolled his eyes. "You're being too impulsive. What if I say no?"
"We figured that would be a possibility but we were also hoping you'd see where we're coming from. We honestly want to help her in any way we could."
Edge inspected each of his students. It appeared they were serious about this. He had to admit, their desire to get strong not just for themselves but also for the sake of others is what he liked most about them. However, he remained indifferent.
"One condition."
His students looked at him, waiting for what he'd say next.
"Try and knock my down." He stated.
"What?" All three of them asked.
"If you can knock me down even once, I'll allow you to use my identification medal to enter the Pokémon Settlement."
The three young Gallade looked amongst themselves before turning back toward their mentor.
"That's all?" Valor asked.
"Yes. Come. Show me how much you've grown. Right here. Right now." He beckoned them with his hand, showing he wasn't kidding.
"If that's how it is..." Gallant smiled, eager to test his might against his instructor in an all-out battle. "Then I guess it can't be helped!"
Gallant extended his blades and made a full sprint at Edge who stood straight in wait. Gallant got within striking range and warped at the last second, appearing behind the older Gallade and raising his leg in preparation of a back kick. Edge reacted by kicking his heel back against the leg Gallant used to keep himself anchored to the ground, tripping him before turning and nailing him in the chest with the same type of kick he attempted. The air was knocked out of him and he was sent rolling along the floor. Valor and Intrepid were upon Edge on either side of his body, Valor going for a roundhouse kick while Intrepid attempted a Low Sweep. Edge jumped off the ground, performing a horizontal corkscrew flip, twisting his body around as their attacks went above and below him, respectively. Touching down, Edge blocked a follow up strike from Valor when he used the momentum of his spinning kick to put extra force into his blade swing. Their blades clashed loudly but Valor had no hope of overpowering the much more experienced Gallade. After parrying his strike, Edge grabbed Valor's arm and swung him around, using his own blade to block an attack from Intrepid as he rose up from the ground. The two blinked at each other in shock and Edge used their hesitation against them, driving his knee upwards into Intrepid's stomach to stun him and pulling Valor back, twisting him around before tossing him into his ally, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Having recovered, Gallant made for a straight line towards Edge, being more direct in his approach this time. He swung his blade against his instructor, followed by a spin and another swing, performing a blade dance in the hopes of getting past Edge's defense. Edge met him hit after hit, however, using only one of his blades to block and parry Gallant's aggressive swordplay. Sparks flew through the air with every collision, Edge taking light steps back as he kept Gallant's pressure in check, pretty much controlling their battle. With a battle cry, Gallant leaped up and came back down with an overhead strike of both his blades. Edge lifted his arm horizontally so the older pokémon blocked both his swords at the same time.
"Do it now!" Gallant called out to his allies.
Valor and Intrepid appeared on either side of him but at a safe distance. The both tapped into their latent fairy powers and their bodies begun to light up with energy.
Edge looked up at Gallant, raising his free arm and placing an open palm over his forehead. Gallant's eyes went wide as he was teleported against his will, appearing above and landing on Valor, breaking his focus as they fell to the ground yet again. Edge then cast Protect, surrounding himself in an impenetrable shield as Intrepid let rip with a Dazzling Gleam that lit up the room yet did nothing to bring any kind of harm to their instructor. When he finished, Intrepid looked up, noticing that Edge was gone from his vision. He looked around, turning and noticing too late Edge had warped behind him and was forced to suffer another kick to his midsection, landing on top of his recovering friends and sending them all to the ground for the final time.
"There's no way..." Gallant panted as he crouched up, bracing one arm against his knee in exhaustion. Not only was Edge far more capable than them, they were still fatigued from the day's worth of training.
"We aren't gonna beat him." Valor replied, sitting against the floor and tiredly leaning his head up.
"So... What does that mean?" Intrepid asked, kneeling on the floor.
"Guess it means we're Redolence's first customers. Wish we could have helped her more than this."
"Hm? You're all done?" Edge folded his arms. "I thought you really wanted to go to the settlement but you're quitting already?"
"We really do. But... We can't beat you. We couldn't meet your condition." Gallant shrugged, disappointed that they couldn't even land a hit on him. "We'll just have to find another way to show our support for Redolence."
"Yeah. It's not all bad, though. Redolence will still get the sale she wanted." Intrepid smiled as he got up. "And she can make the rest when Miss Jubilee returns."
Yeah, that is true. Sorry to trouble you, Edge." Valor bowed respectfully at their mentor. "Come on guys, let's go."
"Hold it."
The three friends watched Edge teleport to some unknown location then back a few seconds later.
"Here" Edge tossed Gallant what they came for; the Pokémon Settlement's medal of identification.
"I don't understand. We failed." The Gallade looked down at the item in his hand in confusion.
"This was never about the question of whether you would win. I just wanted you to know a little humility." Edge explained, walking closer to his students. "While I understand you're excited about new opportunities, you need to know your limitations. You need to be aware that there are just as many potential dangers waiting for you if you plan to expand your world. I wanted you to learn there's no shame in falling back and accepting your losses when you're met with an insurmountable obstacle. Just keep playing it smart and you'd be surprised at how much you'll grow." He placed a hand on Gallant's head and smiled. "I won't always be there to help and I need to make sure you're always ready for what's in store. So I can be confident that my students are able to take care of themselves when I'm not around. Understand?"
They smiled and nodded.
"Good. Now scram, it's been a long day and my bed's calling my name."
They wasted no time in teleporting out of the Training Hold to go prepare for their trip in the morning and Edge laughed a little after they left.
"Show me what you can do, boys..." He closed his eyes and smirked, leaving the Training Hold with a distinct shimmer of light.
END CHAPTER
Author's Note: Thundurus' Nightmare is one I actually had and I decided to share it with the world. Hope you enjoyed.