As requested by user ShadowMario2000 a couple chapters ago, Blastoise gets a big appearance in this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Fire Emblem; those belong to Nintendo.
Chapter 10: THIS IS PLEGIA!
The next day, the Shepherds took a day off. Not a single group of Risen soldiers or bandits had appeared. Many of the Shepherds took the time to rest or to train. Red spent his day not only training up his Pokemon, but also teaching Kellam and Donnel about the berries that grew back in his home world. Chrom, Frederick and Lissa all decided to visit Ylisse's exalt, Emmeryn, at the Ylisstol castle for the day.
Several hours later, dusk fell. Chrom, Lissa and Frederick were all going to say "goodnight!" to Emmeryn when Phila, the captain of Ylisse's Pegasus Knights burst into the throne room. She looked very pale.
Music track: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Oh No!
"Your Grace! M-milord!" she panted. "Forgive me, but I bring alarming news!"
"Phila! Slow down, please!" soothed Emmeryn. "What's happened?"
"Plegian soldiers have been sighted inside our southwest border! They attacked a village in Themis and abducted the duke's daughter!"
Lissa quickly turned pale too as her eyes widened with horror.
"B-but that would be...Maribelle!" she gasped. "Chrom, we have to do something!"
"There's more," continued Phila grimly. "King Gangrel of Plegia claims Lady Maribelle invaded HIS country. He demands we pay reparations for this 'insult.'"
Chrom gritted his teeth in seething anger.
"And we're to believe a dastard like the Mad King of Plegia?!" he ejaculated.
"Peace, Chrom," placated Emmeryn calmly. "We must keep our wits about us."
"We should put a sword in his gut and be done with it! The Mad King has been trying to provoke war with Ylisse at every step! He won't stop until he drags this whole continent to hell with him!"
"I agree with the prince, Your Grace," said Phila. "We must demonstrate to Plegia that such actions have consequences."
"I understand your feelings, Chrom. Truly I do," conceded Emmeryn firmly. "But if we give him the war he wants, then we lose, no matter what the outcome. Our last conflict nearly ruined the halidom. It left Ylisseans homeless and starving. We cannot repeat that mistake. I will offer parley with King Gangrel."
"Emm, no! You can't!" pleaded Lissa fearfully.
"Please reconsider, Your Grace," put in Phila. "He cannot be trusted to act in good faith!"
"So either we choose to march to war or leave Lady Maribelle to die?" asked Emmeryn rhetorically. "No. I will not accept that."
Phila quickly became exhausted by the feverish exchange.
"...Forgive me, Your Grace. I spoke out of turn. I know you will stand always by your own principles. Pray, allow the pegasus knights to accompany you, though," she sighed tiredly.
"I'm going too. ...Someone has to save you from your good intentions," Chrom muttered, exasperated.
"And I want to be there for you AND Maribelle!" added Lissa.
"Don't forget me and the Shepherds," jumped in Frederick.
"As you wish," replied Emmeryn with a gentle and calm smile. "Thank you all. Your strength will be mine."
"So, where is Lady Maribelle now?" asked the wary great knight.
"According to the report…" said Phila.
After the pegasus knights' captain finished her report, Chrom, Frederick and Lissa left for the garrison. When they got there, Chrom and Frederick told the other Shepherds the terrible news and ordered them to begin packing up their necessary belongings for the next day's march.
No music track
After a while, all of the Shepherds were prepared for the next day and got ready to go to sleep.
"Well then? Is everyone ready to go?" asked Chrom. "It's a long march through the western mountains to the Plegian border."
Suddenly a boy rushed into the room. He looked very young – at about Donnel's age. He wore blue and dirty grey mage robes that certainly looked to be a couple sizes too large for him and a pair of brown gloves. A large blue floppy pointed wizard's hat rested upon his maroon-haired head. He appeared ready to hop around the common room fit-to-burst.
"Captain! I'm all packed!" he shouted excitedly. "When do we leave?!"
Chrom, who was tired after packing up for the upcoming journey, was startled by the mage's outburst and quickly became annoyed.
"Ricken? How did you...?" he asked crossly before he shook his own head rapidly. "Go back inside. You're not old enough for this mission."
"But, Captain!" begged Ricken with arms flailing wildly. "You know my skill with magic! You know I can handle myself!"
The young wizard was about to say more but Chrom cut him off abruptly, pointing his index finger at him.
"I'd feel safer with your magic here, protecting the garrison, all right?" snapped the prince, pointing towards the ground with his index finger to punctuate his point. "We're off, then. Be good."
With his point made, Chrom left the common room for his tent so he can sleep for the night. All of the other Shepherds had left for their tents too. Only Ricken remained in the commons room, frustrated with himself and with the Shepherds' leader.
"'Be good?'" fumed Ricken as he stomped around the room in circles in seething silence. "Gods, how old does he think I am?!"
He paused as he looked around the room before he looked out of one of the windows to the starlit night. He then turned so he can blow out the few remaining candles whose lights flickered feebly.
"...Well, I'll show him just how good I can be!" he proclaimed resolutely before he left the now-dark room for his tent.
"After all," he thought. "A night's rest will do me good if I want to be at my best!"
The next morning, Chrom assembled his Shepherds (except Ricken) and escorted Emmeryn to the Plegian border. The mountains there were tall and craggy. A couple trees were scattered about. Dotting the mountains along with the trees were what looked like old stone forts.
Standing at the top of one of the craggy cliffs on the mountains were a man and a woman. The man had short grizzly red hair and goatee and wore black colored clothes and a pair of red boots that curled upwards at the toes. A flashy yellow cape was draped behind his back and a gold thin crown adorned the top of his head. The woman had long silvery hair and wore a particularly revealing outfit which consists of a short black skirt and a black top that revealed her ample cleavage. What looked like black pieces of spiny armor rested on her head, shoulders and hips. Her face was marked with what looked like red tattoos. Her legs were (barely) covered by dark-colored stockings that had black-colored versions of her facial markings. She also wore a pair of short fancy high-heeled boots.
Music track: Fire Emblem Awakening: "Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one!"
"What's this, then?" sneered the man mockingly before he chuckled. "The exalt herself, in all her radiance? I fear I must shield my eyes! Bwa ha ha ha!"
"King Gangrel," beckoned Emmeryn calmly yet firmly. "I've come for the truth of this unfortunate incident between us. "
"The truth?" queried the woman standing next to Gangrel sarcastically. "I can give you the truth."
"Perhaps milady might first share her name?"
"You may call me Aversa."
"Very well, Aversa. Is Maribelle unharmed?"
"Who?" blurted out Gangrel before he remembered. "Oh yes, that little blonde brat."
The Plegian king sniggered before he pointed his finger behind himself nearby. There was Maribelle held captive by a Plegian soldier wearing a skull helmet and red fur-trimmed clothing. The troubadour had her wrists bound together tightly by strong ropes. She was struggling to move her hands through the ropes in a vain attempt to free herself.
"Unhand me, you gutter-born troglodyte!" Maribelle demanded angrily.
"Maribelle!" cried out Lissa fearfully.
"Lissa? Darling, is that you?"
"This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent," said Aversa smoothly before she continued to lie. "And what's more... She wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home."
"LIES!" burst out Maribelle furiously, glaring at Aversa. "You speak nothing but lies, hag! Did they not teach the meaning of the word "truth" in wretched-crone school?!"
Aversa clicked her tongue and shook her head disapprovingly.
"...You see? No manners at all. Such a nasty little bird simply had to be caged," she sighed.
"Such a violent temper speaks to her guilt," decreed Gangrel before he took up a thinking pose mockingly. "This will call for a weighty punishment. And if she were to later confess to being an Ylissean spy? My goodness! It would take an act of CONSIDERABLE good faith to repair our relations."
"I have done nothing wrong! It is they who should confess!" shouted Maribelle pleadingly. "They are the ones who invaded Ylisse. They razed an entire village! When I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border. Let the plundered shops and charred homes of that village serve as my proof!"
"That would only prove Ylisse has a bandit problem—something I hear oft of late... But indeed, tonight I shall weep salty tears into my pillow for your dead villagers."
"Your Grace, please!"
"Peace, Maribelle. I believe you," replied Emmeryn before she turned to the Mad King. "King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once. Surely you and I can sort out these affairs without the need of hostages."
"Without so much as an apology?" demanded Gangrel rudely. "Why should I even bother with parley? I'm within my rights to have her head this instant and be home in time for supper."
"You black-hearted devil!" shouted Chrom through gritted teeth.
The Shepherds watched the failing parley with seething silence. Red and Robin were slightly confused as to what was going on, but they grew crosser and crosser by the minute.
"Control your dog, my dear, before he gets someone hurt," said Gangrel with a twisted yet teasing grin, wagging his pointer finger at Chrom.
"Rrgh..." growled Chrom as he held his tongue.
"Now then, Your Graceliness. Perhaps we can arrange a trade? You give me the Fire Emblem, and I return Mari-Contrary here in one piece."
"You would ask for Ylisse's royal treasure?" gasped Emmeryn. "But why?"
"Because I know the legend!" replied Gangrel before he laughed maniacally. "The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one's wishes realized. I have desired it for years. YEARS! ...Yet my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse. Heheh..."
"The Emblem's power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: to save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need. Would you claim a more noble wish?"
"I want what every Plegian wants—a grisly end for every last Ylissean! What could be more noble than that?"
"What?"
"Surely you have not forgotten what the last exalt did to my people? Your father named us heathens! His 'crusade' across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin!"
"...I have never denied Ylisse's past wrongdoings. But I have sworn to never repeat those mistakes. Ours is now a realm of peace."
"Sounds like the crux of the matter," thought Red silently as he watched the two royal leaders argue.
"Yours is now a haven of hypocrisy!" screeched Gangrel at the Ylissean exalt. "Now give me the Fire Emblem!"
"No, Your Grace!" begged Maribelle. "I'd sooner die than act as a bargaining chip for this filthy reprobate!"
"No, Maribelle..." replied Emmeryn with a stern frown.
"Ugh..." groaned Gangrel before he began to rant like a child with a temper tantrum. "Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk. It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!"
At once, with a sweep of his arm, Gangrel signaled a few of his henchmen to attack. The three brigands ran over to Emmeryn. Two of them carried axes and while the last carried a long lance. Chrom jumped in front of her, ready to protect his older sister. He immediately drew his sword and cut the nearest of the two axe wielders down. The axe wielder fell, dead by Chrom's sword slash at his throat. Blood pooled upon the ground he rested on.
"Stay back!" Chrom barked. "Or you'll all suffer the same fate!"
"Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one..." replied Gangrel as a sick smile formed on his face. "A big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry. Bwa ha ha!"
Heeding the sinister laughter as a call, Plegian soldiers began to rush out of the old forts, ready to attack the Shepherds. While listening to the din of battle, Aversa approached Maribelle with a sultry sneer.
"Poor, stupid girl..." said Aversa lackadaisically as she trailed a finger under Maribelle's chin before she giggled evilly. "Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now, you'll be remembered only as she who destroyed House Ylisse."
"No... That's not..." started Maribelle before her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, Lissa... Please, no..."
Music track: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Mt. Bristle
All of a sudden, a burst of wind blasted the guard holding Maribelle off his feet. The guard was so surprised that he took the full brunt of the magic spell and flopped to the ground unconscious. Aversa was surprised and could not act right away as Ricken the young mage rushed in with a cyan-colored tome in hand, to untie the ropes that held Maribelle's wrists.
"Maribelle! Go! You're free!" he shouted as he tossed away the ropes.
"RICKEN?!" Maribelle screeched out of shock at the identity of her rescuer. "What are you doing here?"
"Just run! We can talk about it later!"
"Oh, is this your little boyfriend? Isn't he just precious…? Kufufufufu…" giggled Aversa with a sly yet sinister smile.
Ricken froze. He hated being called "little." He turned to Aversa with a harsh glare.
"Don't talk down to me, witch!" he snarled as he channeled magic from his Elwind tome and sent a sky-blue wind blast at Aversa. Aversa blocked it with her arms, but was stunned by the swirling magic in the process.
"Nngh!" spluttered the white-haired woman. "W-wind magic?"
"Come on, Maribelle!"
"Right!" agreed Maribelle as she and Ricken ran away from Aversa and the downed brigand.
"Wretched whelp!" seethed Aversa as she recovered from the magic attack. "I should... No. Our soldiers have them outnumbered. The brats will be dead long before they can reach their comrades. Kufufufu…"
She turned to watch as the Shepherds faced off against hordes of Plegian soldiers before she lurked away.
Down below, Ricken and Maribelle managed to escape from Aversa's clutches and were now at a cliff above where the Shepherds were.
"Whew!" panted Ricken. "We've outrun them but… how are we going to reach the others without getting killed or jumping off the cliff?"
"We can only hope," started Maribelle. "That the Shepherds can rescue us… and I wish my horse was here – I'm worn out!"
At the top of the rocky hills, Gangrel rallied the nearby soldiers before he turned to the commander. Said commander had neat dark red hair and wore plate armor. He was mounted on the back of a ferocious copper-scaled looking wyvern and carried a short red axe.
"Bwa ha ha! I have my war!" laughed Gangrel ecstatically before he turned to the mounted commander. "Captain Orton! Remain here, and take down as many Ylisseans as you can. You can expect reinforcements from the forts as well. Now, do your best—at doing your worst! Bwa ha!"
Orton saluted before Gangrel left the area. He turned to the troops who had yet to be in position.
"What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "We have sheep to slaughter!"
At the foot of the mountains, Robin was formulating a plan, while Red was deciding which Pokemon to use.
"First," stated Robin. "We need to find a way to rescue Maribelle and Ricken."
"I have something!" piped up Lissa before she searched in a crate inside a supply wagon. "I can use this Rescue staff to transport them one at a time. However, it's fragile."
The tactician squinted at Maribelle and Ricken before he returned his attention to the young cleric.
"Use it to bring Maribelle over to us," he instructed finally before he turned to Red. "We can't afford to use up too many charges from that staff. Red, can you get over to Ricken?"
"Sure thing, Robin," replied the Pokemon trainer as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Blastoise!"
Music track: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Mt. Thunder
"Blastoise!" said the large brown-shelled turtle as it landed on its stumpy yet strong hind legs with a loud thud.
Red looked up to see some of the Plegian soldiers mounted on wyverns.
"Robin," he said. "Are those… dragons?"
"We call them wyverns, but yes, they're dragons," said Robin. "Some soldiers ride on wyverns into battle."
"Alright. Blastoise, carry me up to the top of the cliff with Rock Climb!"
The Shellfish Pokemon tilted itself so Red can climb on top of its shell. Once the Pokemon trainer was sitting safely on top of it, Blastoise walked over to the cliff wall. It took a few steps back before he began to charge. The momentum was enough for Blastoise to rapidly scale up the rocky face of the cliff. In no time at all, Blastoise and Red were soon in Ricken and Maribelle's vicinity.
"Red!" gasped Maribelle in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Lissa's gonna teleport you out of here," replied Red. "I'm here to make sure Ricken gets to safety."
He then turned around to look down from the cliff.
"Lissa, Maribelle's safe right now!" he called.
"Okay!" Lissa shouted from below as she got ready to use her Rescue staff. With that, Maribelle disappeared in a flurry of magical sparks, reappearing at the bottom of the mountain where Lissa was.
"Maribelle! Are you hurt?!" asked Lissa to her best friend.
"Nothing I didn't return twofold, darling," Maribelle replied nonchalantly as she dusted off her sleeves.
"I'm glad you're safe," said Robin as he walked up to the two girls, relieved.
"Who...? Oh. It's you."
"Yes. I know you're not especially fond of me or Red, but it's a relief just the same."
"Oh, it's not a question of fondness. I am simply protective of Lissa. My treasure is very sensitive, and... Wait. Am I really justifying myself to a commoner? Gods... Yes, well, I do...apologize for being curt. And... And... And you have my thanks for your part in the rescue. There, I said it!"
With a huff, Maribelle soon got a staff, which looked similar to Lissa's but more potent, and soon climbed aboard on her own horse mount. She, Lissa and Robin soon joined the other Shepherds in routing the enemy soldiers.
Back above, Ricken was staring at Red's Blastoise in awe. He had never seen such a creature before. However, he snapped out of it when he saw a Plegian dark mage running towards them, carrying a purple-colored tome. He wore a full-body lace cloth and red wizard's hat, loincloth and a short shawl.
"Kekeke…" the dark mage cackled. "A little boy? He shall be an easy target!"
Ricken froze once again, feeling insecure with himself. Red decided to jump in.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"
"Blast!" grunted Blastoise. Its two metal cannons that peered out of its shell clicked to take aim at the man before two streams of high pressure water shot out of them. The blasts slammed into the dark mage with concussive force, sending him right against the rocky cliff face. The man was easily unconscious, if not dead.
"Whoa!" shouted Ricken, after he recovered. "That was awesome! Let's see what else it can do!"
His wish came soon enough, in the form of a Plegian wyvern rider ready to attack them with a light hand axe. Ricken quickly launched a fast Elwind spell strike. The wyvern swerved to dodge it, but was not prepared for what Red planned Blastoise to do.
"Ice Beam!"
Blastoise looked up to see the wyvern rider and opened its mouth. A glowing blue-white ball formed in its jaws before cyan-color beams lanced out of it, reaching for the skies. The wyvern rider urged his mount to dodge.
"Keep at it!" ordered Red.
The Water-type Pokemon continued to fire out Ice Beam. At last, the wyvern began to tire and was soon struck by one of the freeze rays – one of its wings was quickly frozen solid.
"What the-?!" spluttered the rider. "Ice?! No!"
With its wing frozen, the wyvern struggled to stay airborne before it, along with its rider, fell to the bottom of the mountain to their deaths.
With another soldier down, Red walked over to the cliff to watch the battle. He saw that the numbers of the Plegian soldiers were beginning to thin out and the Shepherds were gradually starting to double-team on the hapless remainders.
At last, the commander, Captain Orton on his wyvern, flew over to Red and pointed his short axe at him, issuing a challenge.
Music track: Pokemon: VS. Rival (Last Battle!)
"I won't ask for your name, boy," he sneered. "Only your life!"
At once he charged directly at Red. Red thought quickly as he got ready to dodge.
"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin!" he called desparately as the wyvern rider closed in on him.
"Blast!" said the giant tortoise. It quickly put itself between Orton and Red before it leaped at the former. It retreated back into its giant brown shell and began to whirl like a top. The spinning Blastoise careened into Orton's wyvern, knocking it, along with its axe-wielding passenger, away.
"Red, that was close!" cried out Ricken.
"Damn!" Orton spat as he urged his dazed wyvern to charge at Blastoise, but was soon stopped by Red.
"Blastoise, Rock Climb!"
"Blast… TOISE!" grunted Blastoise loudly as the claws on its stumpy hands glowed and grew in length. The tortoise slammed them into the ground, causing the earth to crack.
For the other Shepherds, they felt the ground shaking.
"What in hell's name is that?!" shouted Chrom.
"Milord, look!" beckoned Frederick on his armored horse.
They watched as a giant rocky pillar rose out of the ground rapidly into the air. The pillar slammed into the belly of Orton's wyvern as it rose higher and higher into the air. Then, to the shock of the Shepherds, they saw Blastoise, snorting furiously, climbing up the giant rock pillar to reach the stunned wyvern rider.
"C'mon, c'mon!" urged Orton to his wyvern as he repeatedly slapped the wyvern's side to get it to move. "Get up! Get up!"
The wyvern could not fly – it was still reeling in pain as it snorted pathetically.
"Go the rest of the way with Waterfall, Blastoise!" called Red.
At once, Blastoise cloaked itself with water and charged up the pillar. What now looked like a large stream of water slammed into the wyvern and its rider high up into the air. Soon, the stream dissipated to reveal a now airborne turtle close to Orton, who was hanging on to his wyvern mount for dear life.
"Grab 'em!" ordered Red.
Blastoise wrapped its strong seemingly segmented arms around its target tightly.
"Now, Seismic Toss!"
"Blast… TOISE!" roared Blastoise as it performed a few headfirst flips in the air with its targeted cargo in tow before it tossed said cargo. Orton and his wyvern rocketed towards the ground and slammed into it, leaving a shallow crater at where they landed.
"Now, finish them with Body Slam!" ordered Red.
Blastoise flipped in the air one more time and spread its large limbs out as it descended through the air. It was positioning itself for a heavy belly-flop. It soon crashed into the crater, right on top of the helpless wyvern rider commander with a loud BOOM (which made the other Shepherds wince). Orton and his mount succumbed to the crushing weight of Blastoise's Body Slam.
"Great job, Blastoise. Return!" thanked Red as he drew out Blastoise's Pokeball and withdrew his Pokemon. The battle was soon over as the remaining Plegian soldiers were killed or fled.
The Shepherds returned to Emmeryn, who was waiting for them at their supply wagon.
Music track: Fire Emblem Awakening: "Negotiation's not my strong suit…"
"Forgive me, Emm," Chrom apologized. "I acted rashly."
"It's all right, Chrom," replied Emmeryn with a gentle smile. "King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only protecting me."
"The Mad King will be rallying his forces, if they have not mobilized already," cautioned Frederick. "I suggest we make haste back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy."
"Of course, Frederick. It seems war is upon us. We must protect the Ylissean people at all costs."
With that, the Shepherds left the border mountains and returned to Ylisstol.
An action and dialogue heavy chapter! Good thing I'm out of high school to write this up!
... And yes, the chapter's title is a reference to the Internet meme that originated from the movie 300.
If there's a Pokémon you want to see in action, let me know through a review or a PM.
Review please! Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!
UPDATE (6/10/13): Chapter 11 in progress!