Oh man, this is gonna be intense, I can tell!
A woke up and rose from his bed, feeling remarkably refreshed. He stretched his muscles, feeling the power he now possessed course through tem. Yet despite the new extent of his abilities, he still had yet to unlock his final technique, which he was eager to do. He wanted to see the move that could be compared to Arceus' Judgement, but if it required something from him, he didn't know what.
He dressed for the day in the same attire that Arceus had presented to him the day he was revived. He buckled his belt and badge on, but left the pack off. Since he was expected to keep his pokemon out of their balls the entire time he was here, there was no point carrying the pack for a while. He exited his room and ran across his Lucario, Baxter.
"Hello, Alpha. How are you this morning?" A bowed his head in greeting and said
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you today?" He shrugged and said
"Seen better, felt worse." A chuckled and began walking down the hall, saying
"Not much to report then?"
"Nope." They both shared a laugh, then A went to the back yard to see most of his pokemon gathered. There were, however, some missing. A expected to not see the expectant pokemon; that was only natural. He located his Exploud, Sid, and walked over to him, asking
"Hey Sid, can you give the call?" Sid smiled, taking up the majority of his features, and said
"You might want to cover your ears, though." A nodded and lifted his hands, but before he covered his ears he warned
"Just don't bring the ceiling down on our heads." Sid nodded, and when A's ears were well covered, he drew back, taking a massive breath, then began to shout. After half a minute, he closed his mouth, and within another half minute, his pokemon were gathered around him. Many were wondering why they had been summoned, and when A started talking, they stopped and listened. Such was the extent of their respect for him.
"Okay guys, I have been thinking for a while. While I have no doubt that our host, Warlord Aeruthael, is Warlord for a reason, he still cavorts around too much for my liking. Therefore, we will have to pick our training up so we can take care of any slack. Understand?" They all nodded, some excitedly, others solemnly. Once he had everyone's agreement, he said
"Alright, those of you with Shadow Pulse, keep up the training. Individual Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse users, find a partner and work on it. That's probably one of our best bets right now, so I want that move to be well known. Mark, Theya and Rose, you guys start organizing groups for Shadow Burn, Shock, and Freeze. Next, Flash Cannons and Energy Balls, I want you guys practicing Energy Cannon. The sooner we get these combo moves perfected, the better. Then we'll be prepared for whatever challenges they throw at us."
His pokemon nodded again and started breaking up into their groups. The users of Shadow Pulse gathered by themselves and began demonstrating their power. There was a contest of sorts, to see who could come up with the largest Shadow Pulse without it exploding in their faces. A smirked, thinking it would be interesting to join in. He searched through the groups and saw Mark, Theya and Rose teaching their students their ultra-powerful elemental Shadow moves. That was by far one of the more interesting Shadow moves he had thought up, but one of the prettiest, he had to debate, was Shadow Beam, or a combined Shadow Ball and Signal Beam. Rose, of course, utilized it, and that was part of what she was teaching her students, or at least those who could use either move.
As time passed by, A patrolled the grounds, keeping watch over his troops. Occasionally he spotted a random Gallade he knew wasn't Loran. He figured they were guards or something, a regular group to keep watch over the Sanctuary, which A would have to explore at some point if it wasn't for his inconspicuity. Being the only human here, so far as he knew, had its disadvantages. But he knew he could defend himself, if it came to that.
A few hours after they had begun, A called for lunch. He and several of his pokemon brought out the food which had been delivered that morning, which A was grateful for. It was frustrating that he couldn't utilize the pack for this purpose, but he supposed Rick had his reasons. Everyone settled down to eat, and Rose walked over to A and sat next to him. A smirked and said
"You know, if other people saw the way you act around me, they would get the wrong idea." She was chewing at the moment, so she replied telepathically
"And I would correct them. It doesn't matter what they think; we don't exactly hang around a particular area for very long." A inclined his head and replied
"True, but if my identity were to leak out and they begin to see me as a pokephiliac, all sorts of trouble would be raining down on my head. I know I don't really support that, and I'm sure I'll break up many cases of it, but if I was perceived as being part of it, that would ensue hypocritical accusations." Rose shrugged, then said
"Well, I'm not hugging or kissing you. Hell, I have two children now, by my mate! So there's no way people would get that idea." A rolled his eyes and said
"Well, that's all fine and dandy for us. But nobody outside of our little group knows that, so it's pretty much null. At least here, in a place filled with your species, we're safe from those accusations. Or at least I hope so." Rose growled and said
"If anyone dares to accuse you of that, I'll show them exactly what it means to be a pokemon under your training." A laughed and said
"Thanks for your concern, but I don't think that'll be necessary. I have the feeling I won't be getting out of this… den?... much anyway. So we shouldn't have to worry about that." A kept eating, thinking about something else.
"You know what?"
"What?" Rose asked.
"We haven't celebrated the recent holidays. I think we all missed Christmas." Rose looked ahead and thought hard, and upon realizing her master was right, she turned to him and said
"Dang." A laughed at her response, then his smirk turned into a glummer expression.
"Come to think of it, I haven't really celebrated anything family-oriented in quite a while, except occasionally with you guys. And I've never paid attention to the lesser holidays, least of all Valentines." Rose frowned and asked
"Why not? Surely you've had at least one sweetheart within your lifetime." A hesitated, then shook his head. Rose put down her sandwich and said
"Okay, now I know you're lying. Come on, who is it?" A sighed and said
"It's probably more like 'was'. Well, back in Kanto, when I was Red, there was me and my rival, Blue. But what no one else really knows is that there was someone else. Her name is, or was, Green. It was kinda funny how that worked out between the three of us. Anyway, where I had taken Blitz, Blue had taken the Squirtle. All that was left for her, naturally, was a Bulbasaur. Nevertheless, she took and raised it, in her own way. I cared deeply for my pokemon, Blue was just obsessed with getting stronger, and Green… well, we had a lot in common where caring for pokemon was concerned. I only came across her a couple of times, but during that time, I fell in love with her." Rose 'aww'd' at this, but A sighed and hung his head, saying
"It didn't quite work out how you think." Rose gasped and asked
"Did she reject you?" A shook his head and replied
"I couldn't even work up the courage to tell her. After I left Kanto for Orre again, she became more prominent, though my legacy was never forgotten. I returned briefly after my Hoenn run to search for her and tell her how I felt. I never did find her though, so my love went without ever being reciprocated, rejected, or fully realized. From then on, I swore I would find her. But as time went on, I became less hopeful, figuring after ten years she would already have been tied to someone else, so I gave up completely. And after nearly eighty-five years, she's surely gone. Blue will probably have kicked it too, then there's May, and Dawn and Barry, Cheren and Bianca… the list of people I knew that are dead or most likely dead just keeps going. Now it's even extending to my pokemon." A sighed heavily and continued as Rose rubbed his shoulder reassuringly.
"First it was Blitz, then I lost Umbra… you know, the entire six months I was in that training chamber, I never got a chance to grieve. So the wound is as fresh as it was yesterday, and to top it all off, Rick has an Umbreon on his team. I can't really bear looking at it without remembering everything we've done as a team."
The tears began to form in his eyes again, and he rubbed them out furiously before they could fall. The rest of their lunch was spent in silence, and when everyone was finished, A stood back up and said
"Okay, gang, talk among yourselves and wait for the food to settle. After about an hour, we'll get back to training." They began talking, waiting for the time to pass by. When it did, A told them to get started, but they could go easy. While they did, A started a conversation with Woof, wondering how the soon-to-be proud father was feeling. There was a tap at his shoulder and he turned to see his Audino, Cheryl, looking up at him and asked
"Do you hear that?" A smirked and said
"Probably not. What do you hear?"
"Knocking." A paused and focused, listening intently. He heard a knock at what he assumed to be the front door. Then he waved it off and said
"It's probably another delivery of food. Rose, could you answer that? And if it's another curious pokemon, tell them I'm busy, but get their name, would you?" Rose nodded and teleported away. A thanked Cheryl, then turned back to Woof and continued the conversation he had started. Within a minute, however, he noticed that his pokemon seemed to be stopping their training and looking toward the mansion. He looked there himself and saw Rick standing at the door next to Rose, scoping his entire team. A bowed his head and Rick said
"Good to see you again, A. I have to say, I'm surprised by the number of pokemon that you have. How did you carry all these pokemon around with you?" After a moment of consideration, he shook his head and said
"Actually, that's not important." A chuckled a little at Rick's curiosity and responded
"Hello to you too, Warlord Aeruthael. I see that you met Rose." Rick nodded and said
"I have. I didn't notice that you were training right now. If I had known I would of come back at a better time." A waved it off and replied
"Oh, it's alright. Sorry; at first I didn't hear the knock on the door. Then I heard the second knock and sent Rose to answer it. I was too busy training these guys." Rick nodded and told him
"You have the right to do as you see fit. So far this entire place is reserved for you." A tilted his head noncommittally and said
"Yeah, but you own it." Rick laughed quietly and said
"I guess I do. Mind if we talk inside?"
"Sure!" A turned to his pokemon and told them
"Continue your training like I taught you. I won't be long. Rose, you can tag along if you want." Rose shook her head and said
"No, your personal business should be your own." A nodded and led Rick into the mansion. They walked all the way to the living room and sat down across from each other. Rick looked around and analyzed the details of the living room; it had a stone fireplace, walls that were pearl white and stone at the bottom, and the furniture complimented the room well. Rick started the conversation by asking
"I take it that everything has been well provided for you?" A nodded and replied
"Yes, everything I needed has been provided and my pokemon have had no complaints so far."
"I'm glad to hear it. Tell me, is there anything I can do to make your stay more...comfortable?" A thought for a moment, then told him
"No. So far we have everything we need right now. Thank you so." Rick dipped his head and said
"You're very welcome. Let me give you some information on your residence here. You are free to do as you like with my blessing. However, you have to remember that you do not have immunity from the law, and I may be forced to arrest you if the situation calls for it." A nodded in understanding and replied
"No need to worry. I'm not going to cause any trouble in the Sanctuary." Rick also nodded and said
"I trust you. Also, don't worry about the soldiers and guards. I talked to them and explained your presence here. You will be treated with respect."
"Thank you. That takes one worry off my shoulders."
"Also, there will be guards patrolling the area at all times to make sure that you and your pokemon are safe. Don't be alarmed when you see them. I assure you, you won't even notice them." A smirked and remembered the Gallade he saw earlier.
"I'm sure I'll notice a guard. They're not exactly inconspicuous." Rick laughed and argued
"Really? Have you noticed that there's been a guard in this room watching over my visit the whole time?" A was taken aback and he asked
"A guard? Where?" A turned to look to his right and saw said guard standing in the room. The guard looked at him and gave him a salute.
"Sir!" A saluted back dumbly and looked back at Rick.
"I didn't even notice him here." Rick laughed and said
"Told you! I trained them well."
"I'll say!"
"Now, to get to something I wanted to ask you."
"What's on your mind?" Rick sat back as he said
"There's something bothering you. I sensed it yesterday during the tour of the Mercury. You didn't like the weapons on it, did you?" A was astonished on how Rick figured it out. He figured that Rick's species powers helped him figure it out.
"Yeah, I didn't. It wasn't anything I was expecting from someone trying to liberate pokemon. I'm actually starting to believe that you're trying to destroy everything." Rick chuckled, a reaction that A didn't expect. But he preferred it over Rick getting infuriated at him.
"I'm already aware of this. Don't worry, I'm not angry. No, I'm fighting against Team Rocket...and all their associates."
"Associates?" A asked, now curious.
"Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, and the remnants of Cipher." A was severely taken aback as he asked quietly
"Cipher?"
"Have you heard of them?" A thought quickly for a second. While he was safe, there was no sense in revealing his full identity.
"Yes, but I heard they were eliminated some time ago." Rick began to say
"They were beaten down to submission by some guy called Michael. However, they now serve as a form of mercenary group for the current teams. Whoever this Michael guy was, he should have finished the job." A felt a flash of irritation. How dare he say that?! He had done the best he could without actually killing anybody, and if he hadn't done anything then Cipher would have overthrown the world! Rick then sighed and said
"However, that's not my place to judge. When I was part of Team Rocket, I could have destroyed them from the inside. I should of taken my chances, but I didn't. If I had, I wouldn't be worrying about all this war today." A was now shocked by what he heard. He asked suspiciously
"You were a part of Team Rocket?"
"Yeah, I forgot to brief you on the details of the war." A grew rather irritated and serious
"I'd like to hear it."
"Calm down! I WAS a part of Team Rocket, but then I defected and crippled their operations for a few years."
"But you still joined them."
"Not by choice. Team Rocket ruined my life and turned me into something that I should not be." Rick examined his hand for a short time, and then claws came out of his fingers.
"I can't tell you how much I hate them. It's a hate that burns hotter than any hellfire, and they caused me pain worse than any torture." A calmed down considerably and asked
"What did they do to you?" He said this with more sympathy.
"They killed my parents and my sister." A frowned and asked
"But I saw your parents. How can they be dead?"
"Arceus brought them back, but only for a few more days. I was happy, I got to gain a relationship with my parents again. I'm just sad that it's not permanent." A smacked his forehead, saying
"Oh yeah, I forgot that you had connections to Arceus...I'm sorry, I didn't know. What about your sister?" Rick sighed and said
"If you're going to be on my team then I guess I should open up to you. After my parents were killed by Team Rocket, they took me and my sister to different facilities to be experimented on. Where I survived the experimentation, my sister did not. I DID die seven times, but I kept coming back to life. Arceus had bigger plans for me. By the end of the experimentation I became what is known as a Rocket Project; Project Alpha." Rick lifted his right fist so that A could see the glowing 'A'.
"Anyways, I stayed with them from the time I was seven until I became ten. Then I defected, killed many of their members, and wounded Giovanni. I didn't kill any of the other Projects, so now I have to fight against them, but not all of them are evil. We actually have some on our side. Giovanni didn't foresee that if you give creatures free will and treat them badly, then they WILL lash out at you." A thought for a moment, then asked quietly
"What are we up against?"
"Monsters. Monsters of incredible power. I'm not talking about the Projects now. Is there anything you want to know about me now?" A shook his head and replied
"No. I guess I'll figure everything out on my own. But let me get one thing straight; You're not trying to destroy humans or pokemon?"
"No. Because someone wronged me doesn't mean that I have the right to wrong others. This is a secret war that the outside world may not be completely aware of. Don't worry about the Goliad Missiles and the Ragnarok Cannon. Those are only a last resort. Hell, the Ragnarok Cannon is not in my list of things to use unless need be." A nodded, now understanding better why he had heard nothing about this war, even if he had recently arrived.
"Alright. I understand." Rick looked at him for a minute, then said
"Tell me, what is your task?"
"To aid you in battle."
"Nooooo, That's your mission. What is your task?" A was now confused and didn't hesitate to say it.
"I don't comprehend." Rick thought for a moment how to phrase it differently, then said
"What is it that you devote your life to doing? What is it that you work so hard to accomplish?" Understanding better now, A replied
"To protect pokemon everywhere." Rick nodded and told him
"Rest assured that we have similar goals."
"I sure hope so." Rick smiled and looked at A's blade.
"That's a nice sword." A was surprised by the change of subject, but he was happy that they were talking about something less morbid.
"Thanks. It was a gift from Arceus."
"Do you know how to use it?"
"Of course! I had training." A looked at Shadowbane.
"Your sword looks good too. Mind if I hold it?" Rick nodded and smirked, saying
"Sure, if you want to be killed by my blade itself, then go ahead and hold it." Rick said as he drew Shadowbane out of its sheath and presented it to A. A shook his head.
"I'd rather not take my chances. Your sword is like mine; it harms those it rejects."
"Sword from Arceus?"
"Yes."
"Same here. I have two." A arched an eyebrow.
"Two?" Rick nodded and the Arceus symbol on his left hand began to glow. Suddenly, a bright sword appeared in his hand. The dark sword began to ripple, and when it settled it was different, more angled and deadly looking. A was surprised by both swords and Rick chuckled at his surprise.
"The light sword is called Sovereign. The shadow sword is called Shadowbane. Both swords were crafted by Arceus' own hands. Shadowbane has been in the Sanctuary for the last 1,800 years, and has cursed all those that took it out. Arceus gave me Sovereign when I accepted his mission. Then I found out that they are sister swords, which is why Shadowbane changes its form when Sovereign is brought out." A nodded in contemplation, then told him
"My sword was crafted by Heatran, but Arceus gave it to me. It can change its typing at my command." Rick lifted an eyebrow, then bragged
"My swords can control light and darkness at my will. I'm learning how to use them though, especially Sovereign. They can be offensive or defensive. Sovereign can become a shield that forces enemies back or throws them back when they clash with it. Shadowbane can create protective force fields to protects a certain area. Other than that I need to learn how to use their power a bit more." A chuckled and asked
"Want to try out our skills?" Rick lifted the eyebrow again and asked
"Are you challenging me to spar?" A smirked and said
"I might be, if you accept." Rick grinned and said
"Challenge accepted." Rick and A got up and immediately walked back to the training field, where all of A's pokemon were still training with one another. They stopped again when they saw Rick. Rick asked A
"Are they going to keep stopping when they see me?" A pulled a wincing/apologetic face and replied
"Oh, they just don't know who you are. I told them about you, but I didn't explain to them exactly who you were. One moment please." A then told his pokemon
"Guys, this is Warlord Aeruthael. He's our host, and for a while, our boss. Please give him the respect he deserves." All of his pokemon immediately gave Rick signs of respect in their own ways.
"Anyway, please clear the field. Me and him are going to spar." All his pokemon sweatdropped and moved off the field. Rick and A walked to their respective positions and sheathed their swords. Rick teleported wooden swords to his hands and threw one to A, who caught it and took a battle position.
"So any conditions?"
"Yeah, no powers. Blades and hand-to-hand only." A nodded and said
"Good conditions. Let's go!"
They both bowed their heads and then charged at one another, clashing their swords. They exchanged slashes until Rick decided to kick A to the ground. A jumped up and dodged Rick's next attack. He then punched Rick, making him stagger back. A went for another punch, but Rick caught his fist, grabbed his arm and flipped him. A cringed from the pain, opened his eyes, and rolled out of the way from a slash from Rick's sword.
A noticed that Rick had the upper hand in the brute strength department, so he stood still and began to concentrate. Rick noticed and charged at A, to see what would happen. Once he reached him, A shot his hand out and caught Rick's wrist. He tried to punch Rick and succeeded. Rick, however, shook the hit off and head-butted A. A tried to punch him again, but Rick caught the fist. Rick tried to punch A as well, but A did the same as him and caught the fist. They struggled against each other for a few moments until A ducked his head onto Rick's chest, under his spike, and lifted him into the air and slammed him to the ground.
While Rick was on the ground, A reached for his wooden sword and swung at Rick. Rick responded by pulling out one of his arm blades and blocking the wooden sword. Rick got up and said
"Now that's not a power." A smirked and responded
"Oh I know...from experience." Rick chuckled and swung his sword at A, who blocked it and returned the slash. Rick quickly blocked the hit and the two returned to trading blows. They soon got into a power struggle, and Rick spoke to him.
"You know, you have to be the strongest human I have ever faced." A grinned and replied
"Thanks. I've had a lot of training."
"Hmmm...is that so? Then let me test those skills of yours." Rick immediately grabbed A's wrist and pulled him into a head-butt. He began to swing at him, but A back flipped away and began to spread his legs apart and breathe deeply. Rick arched an eyebrow and ran towards him. A began to move around each swing; Rick went for a stab and A moved around it again and kicked him on the side of the head.
A saw that he landed a good hit on Rick and went for a winning shot. Rick, somehow, recovered and wormed his way away from the strike. He grabbed A's arm and began twisting it behind A's back. A's eyes widened and he shouted, both in pain and frustration.
"DAMN IT! NOT AGAIN!" ick's grip lightened up, and he asked
"Again?" After a moment, something clicked for him and he said
"Ooooh." A took what he remembered from his training and dropped his weapon. He then elbowed Rick in the stomach to make him let go. Rick bent forward from the hit and A took the opportunity to drive Rick's face to the ground. A jumped onto his back and began to twist Rick's arm.
"What goes around comes around!" Rick began to laugh, startling A.
"You honestly believe that this is a problem for me? If my hunch is correct, I've had this done on me more than you know."
"Wait...what?" Rick, despite A being on his back, jumped onto his feet. By this time A was extremely surprised. Rick suddenly shot forward, making A flip over him and fall on the ground. A rolled and grabbed his sword, which he had dropped. He faced Rick and saw him grab his sword and give him the 'bring it' taunt. A stood up and both fighters charged at each other. They clashed in the middle and knocked each other's swords off their hands. They immediate caught the swords in midair, spun around, and swung at each other again. Both swords met once more, but this time their clash was so strong that both wooden swords broke into pieces.
Rick and A looked at their broken swords and said in unison
"It's a draw!" Both of them shook hands and Rick said
"Incredible! No human has ever been able to keep up with me in a sword fight."
"You're not...bad yourself. Hell...you were awesome!" A said out of breath.
"You were really tough. If we had used powers, you would probably have won because of your huge ability pool."
"We're alike in a lot of ways."
"Yeah, but you're the Warlord for a reason."
"So tell me, who trained you?" A began to think of an answer, trying not to let Rick know that his mentor was an Arceus Knight.
"An associate of mines."
"By 'associate', you mean X, right?" A was surprised again.
"How...?" Rick laughed and interrupted.
"The old man trained me too, for a period of six months in a time chamber. I figured that he trained you because you used his sword techniques, and you just so happened to be referred to me by Arceus. I'm a student of X as well. How long was your training?"
"Six months, like you. I didn't know any of this."
"Neither did I." A voice suddenly came out of nowhere, one A recognized.
"Yeah, I probably should have explained." Both men looked at where the voice came from and saw X standing in the middle of the field. Rick chuckled and said
"Good to see you again X."
"Hello Aeru. Haven't seen you in about a month." X looked at A and asked him
"Now do you see why he's the Warlord? He knows what he's doing." A replied
"I never doubted that he wasn't the Warlord. I'm just so surprised on how he and his team are so laid back about such serious things." Rick replied to him
"We are. We just can't let a war scare us. We have lives to live, so we will live them." A thought quickly for a second. He couldn't say much in that regard. Most of his life since age ten had been devoted to defeating one criminal syndicate after another. Even when he wasn't, he was focusing hard on caring for his pokemon or looking toward the future. Relaxation was kind of a strange concept to A. However, he tried deflecting suspicion by saying
"Amen to that! Sorry, there's so much for me to take in and learn about this entire situation. Any advice?" Rick nodded and said
"Yeah, enjoy yourself. When the time comes to do what we need to do, then we will respond in the way we need to." X then said
"Aeru is right. There's a time to be a soldier, a time to be a leader, a time to be an ally, and a time to be an individual. There are no zombies here." X then thought about A's situation. "...I think. Not important. Anyways, I came to tell you that you should let Aeru teach you how to be a member of this society and that you should help him. Don't worry about anything that happens." A nodded and replied
"Alright. But what if I don't like something?" Rick responded to his question
"Then you talk to me about it." X nodded and added
"Exactly! You can also talk to me or Arceus. Point is that you're all in this together." A thought to himself for a second, realizing he was right.
"Alright. I understand. Thank you X."
"Anytime. Now Rick, you better get going. Your ceremony is going to begin in a few hours and you haven't even gotten ready yet." Rick's eyes shot open and he shouted
"Damn! Thanks X! Bye A!" Rick opened a strange portal and left. A was left with X and said to him
"I have to learn how to do that." X began to laugh at A's statement, then said
"Perhaps, perhaps." A gathered his thoughts for a second, then asked
"What ceremony?" X laughed and said
"Oh, it's his inauguration as Warlord." A remembered the conversation back in Rick's car, then said
"Oh, okay. Is everyone going to be there, or is it optional?" X snorted and said
"Well, it's not optional for him, but for most of the Sanctuary, it will be in high attendance. It's not mandatory, but it is rarely seen, and the inauguration represents something special for them, so it's kind of important to them. For those who can't make it, the whole thing will be televised." A's eyes widened and he said
"Wow, they installed television here? It never ceases to amaze me what they've accomplished." X chuckled and told him
"Well, they've had a long time to work on it. If I'm not mistaken, you should be getting something soon. By the way, you should name your sword already; the rest of the Knights have named weapons. It would look strange if you were the only one who didn't."
He disappeared before A could ask anything. A bit irritated, he walked back to the mansion to speak with Rose, hopefully get a little input on his battle against the Warlord. When he walked into the house, however, he saw a group of his pokemon standing around something. A pushed forward and asked
"What's going on, guys?" Rose stepped forward holding a suit. A frowned in confusion and asked
"Where'd you find that?"
"A guard just delivered it. Evidently, it's from Lady Alara, the daughter of the Chief." A thought back and added
"She's also the Warlord's fiancée if I remember correctly." Rose nodded and handed it over to him. A stood in front of a mirror and placed it generally over his body. It looked like it was a good fit, and A thought either Lady Alara had a very good eye and memory, or was just very lucky. He didn't really think either was correct, but it didn't matter much anyway. He remembered where the obelisk was, so he would allow Rose to peer into his mind for the location. She could share it with her fellows and they could do a mass teleporting, or at least those who wanted to attend.
A couple of hours later saw A well dressed in the crisp, clean suit. He had kept his belt, though, and re-lipped his badge and sword to it. He wanted to keep the badge in case they came across Rocket grunts he could rescue, and the sword just in case.
As he handled the blade, though, he thought about X's last statement. He had heard quite often about naming a sword, but he had never had a weapon before. He didn't count pokemon, who were living and breathing and thinking beings. Rose stepped in and said
"Wow, look at you! I imagine you could be quite the lady-killer." A laughed and turned to her, saying
"Thanks. That's quite a compliment. But something's bugging me at the moment."
"What is it, Alpha?" He huffed and said
"X told me I should name my sword. He also said that all the other Knights, my brethren, have named weapons, and it would be strange if I was an exception." Rose thought for a second, then said
"Well, the idea's interesting. Why don't you?"
"Well, it's not so much that I can't or don't want to, I just don't know what I should name it. I've never been very good at it, which is why some of you don't have names beyond your species." Rose contemplated that for a minute, then said
"Why don't you make it a reflection of who you are and what you stand for? Namely the protector, the guardian, the savior of pokemon everywhere." The name there clicked in A's mind. He motioned for Rose to keep silent for a moment, then went over the name in his mind some more. After much deliberation, he drew his blade and lifted it in front of his face. He said
"I have made my decision. Sword, I name you Savior." It felt a bit ridiculous to say it like that, but after he did he felt a deeper connection with the sword, and it seemed like something had been unlocked. What, exactly, he was not sure. But something was definitely different between both the sword and him. Shrugging, he returned it to its sheath and said
"Okay, who else is traveling with us?" Rose shook her head and told him
"They don't want to cause a scene by being the size they are, as well as being out of place for most of them. So the only ones going are you, me, and Loran. He wants the chance to meet up with others like him, and I couldn't deny him that." A shook his head and said
"Nor would I. All right, then, let's find him and get going. Here, before we go, touch my mind; I'll give you the location so you can just teleport there." Rose nodded and searched his mind. Once she found and understood the area, she opened her eyes and said
"Okay, let's find my mate and head out." As it turned out, he wasn't far behind Rose. They held tightly together and Rose's eyes flashed white. Before they knew it, they were aboveground once more. Rose's grip weakened and she would have fallen over if Loran hadn't immediately grabbed and steadied her. A asked
"You alright?" She nodded and said
"I'll be fine. Go ahead, enjoy yourself. We'll find you once this is over." A nodded and walked around, occasionally receiving a glance from a Gardevoir or a Gallade. Most of the Gardevoirs were fixated by his badge, whereas the Gallade were more focused on Savior. A laughed inwardly and continued walking around. He got near the front and could see Rick upon the stage, wearing what looked like a ceremonial suit for his specific status. A Gardevoir next to him, which he quickly recognized as Lady Alara, was wearing a gorgeous dress and talking to him. A smirked and decided to use his abilities to have a bit of fun.
He disappeared, taking some of the pokemon nearest him by surprise, and appeared behind Rick and Alara, apparently without their notice. Right as he appeared, they were laughing over something and soon began kissing. A smiled, and after giving them a minute, he said
"Isn't that sweet? I hope I'm not too late." Rick and Alara turned around and saw A standing on the balcony with them, wearing his suit. Rick immediately walked up to him and shook his hand, saying
"Good to see you again. Nice suit!" A smiled and said
"Thanks. Your mate had it sent over." Rick looked at Alara and she explained herself.
"I didn't know if he had one for the ceremony, so I had one sent to him. I love that it fits him perfectly." They began to chat as they waited for the ceremony to begin. It took another ten minutes until a couple of Gallade arrived. Then another ten for Rick's team to arrive so they could begin the ceremony. A walked to his seat and sat down. The Blaziken he had seen with him earlier approached him and began speaking with him. From what A had gathered earlier, the Blaziken was nothing more than an oversized goofball, but something about him was still unsettling to A. Maybe he would confront the issue later on.
The Blaziken walked over and sat next to an Espeon. Then the Umbreon he had seen before walked up to Rick at his request, and A felt the stab of loss again.
"Damn it," he thought to himself "why couldn't I have taken the time to grieve when I should have? Of course, everything else beyond training was completely driven from my mind, and in reality the situation is no different from yesterday, but still."
The horrible memories he had of his former home arose again, and he was cursing loudly in his head. A Gardevoir next to him looked at him and asked
"I'm sorry, but can you stop doing that? It's kind of distracting." A said nothing, but his sorrow made way for a bit of anger. He avoided a confrontation by attempting to clear his mind of these thoughts that plagued him. He succeeded somewhat and returned his attention to the Gardevoir, who nodded and said
"Thank you." Rick was knighted officially into his position by the Queen, then Rick began his speech, and he tried with a funny quip. It got a reaction from the rest of the Sanctuary, but the humor was lost on A due to his grief, and the fact he had no idea what the hell he was referring to. He imagined it was some sort of movie, but A had never been much of a TV watcher. After his experience in Orre, the TV only ever brought bad news.
The speech he gave was long but eloquent. Maybe some of the material had been a bit overused, but overall the effect gave an impression of power and confidence, which was well-received by the citizens of the Sanctuary. When it was over, A sought out Rose, hoping to escape as soon as possible.
Soon he met up with her. She had a questioning look on her face, and after touching his mind, she nearly cursed and shouted for Loran. He appeared quickly and she teleported them back to their den. They appeared in the back yard and Loran rushed Rose inside to rest and recover. A stayed out on the other hand, and he fingered the pommel of Savior.
After ten minutes of standing there, he yanked Savior out of its sheath and summoned the power of earth. Then he pointed into the training area and made a multitude of earthen puppets rise out. He took a deep breath, then charged forward and began slashing like a madman, trying to vent out all his rage, his frustration, but most of all, his grief. He hated being separated from Umbra like that, but he knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. So he did the only thing he could think of; destroying whatever caused him anguish.
He had shaped some of the puppets, mostly to resemble most people's depictions of the grim reaper. He enjoyed hacking these apart, and whenever he ran out, he created more and started anew. After about an hour of it, though, he was panting and sweating heavily. He couldn't raise his arms anymore, so he sank to the ground and gave in to his grief. He knelt, crying for the loss of his first best friend. The first friend that had stuck with him through thick and thin, always caring for him and being cared by him.
He remembered the day he returned to Orre from Kanto to find him a struggling but loving father. How he had then offered his oldest friend help in raising them, and his acceptance and conditions for it. When his children had been evolved, one by one, he was there for them and showered his praises. Then finally that last, hated day, when he had to go.
All this and more A thought about as he sunk ever lower into his crushing despair, and he figured this was more or less how Mew felt when she lost her children to that meteor, but perhaps on a far larger scale. Eventually he just slumped over and fell asleep on the ground due to his exhaustion, physical, mental, but most prominently, emotional.
And that ends the beginning chapter of the number thirty. Review soon and give me your thoughts!