"Ready, Damien?" Vale asked.
They had commandeered one of the park's many battlefields, although that was probably not quite the right word, since no one was using the field in question before them.
Nora was refereeing. "Alright," she said. "This is a standard three-on-three. Both Trainers will send out their first Pokémon on my mark, and either may switch Pokémon whenever they please. Once either Trainer has sent out a total of three different Pokémon, he or she is limited to those three. The battle will continue until one Trainer has no Pokémon that can battle."
Vale shot Nora a look. This was not a standard three-on-three. Standard 3v3, or Battle Spot, as it was designated in online competitive, was a format in which both Trainers brought a full team of six, but could only battle with three. Each got to see his or her opponent's full team beforehand and chose the three Pokémon he or she felt could do the most against the opposing team, while not knowing which three his or her opponent would be choosing. It was the format that most major tournaments aside from the League used.
Yet here Nora was, making up a new rule that would force Vale to choose which Pokémon to use on the fly. And only her, she realized. Damien, as far as she knew, only had three. Maybe the other girl was trying to level the playing field.
Fortunately, Vale knew Damien's team already. And she had a good idea of which one of her Pokémon she wanted to use against each of his. Growlithe—and maybe Luxio as well—was the only one who could really touch the Metang. Then Servine for his Luxio, since Phanpy still wasn't trained much, and Ivysaur for the Charmeleon.
Vale reached for Growlithe's Pokéball, predicting that Damien would lead off with his newly evolved Steel-type.
"Luxio!" Damien called.
Oh, crap, Vale thought. But she couldn't change her lead now.
"Growlithe, go." Her Fire-type materialized on the sand, across from Damien's Luxio.
Actually, not a bad lead on his part, Vale thought. Luxio only has one weakness, and he doesn't know I have a Ground-type. And I can't switch Phanpy in. He's my weakest team member and won't get STAB until he evolves. He can't touch Metang or Charmeleon.
Luxio's Ability activated, and Growlithe glowed blue for a brief moment as his attack power dropped.
"Flame Wheel," Vale ordered.
"Spark, " Damien called a second later. Vale noticed he sounded far more confident than the last time she'd watched him battle.
Growlithe cloaked himself in flames and charged Luxio, who leapt to meet him, fur crackling with electricity.
The two collided, then quickly broke apart, Growlithe clearly having taken the worst of it. Vale whipped out her Pokédex to check Growlithe's energy levels and gasped when she saw that he was just barely above 50%. Luxio, thanks to Intimidate, was down a little over a quarter of his energy.
After seeing those results, Vale needed only a couple of seconds to realize that she needed to switch out. So she hurriedly recalled Growlithe and replaced him with Servine.
That could have been a risky move, but Vale knew that Servine could handle himself. She was proved correct when Damien tried to take advantage of the time it took her to make the switch by ordering a Tackle, and Servine responded by whacking Luxio in the face with a Vine Whip.
Vale scanned both Pokémon again, noticing that Damien was following her lead across the field. Luxio had lost an additional third of his energy, while Servine had taken no appreciable damage.
"Bite, Luxio," Damien ordered. "Watch the vines."
"Leaf Tornado," Vale ordered. The whirlwind of leaves smacked into Luxio well before he reached Servine, and he fainted.
"Go, Metang." The blue Steel-type materialized on the field.
Knowing Servine could do very little to damage a Metang, Vale hurriedly replaced him with Growlithe.
"Flame Wheel," she ordered. Growlithe cloaked himself in fire and launched toward Metang. The attack connected just slightly before Damien ordered a Confusion.
Vale checked Growlithe's energy. He had about 20% left. Metang was still above half.
Growlithe can't take another Confusion, she thought. And another Flame Wheel won't take out Metang. The only way we win this match-up is to hope for a flinch.
"Bite, Growlithe," she ordered.
Growlithe sank his teeth into one of Metang's arms. Vale watched on her Pokédex as the blue Steel-type's energy dropped to below twenty percent.
Was that a critical hit?
It didn't matter. "Fling him off," Damien ordered. "Then Confusion."
With a wave of its arm, Metang sent Growlithe flying into the center of the field. He landed on his feet, but then the Confusion connected and he collapsed.
Vale ran through her list of Pokémon in her head. With Growlithe down, what else can I send in against this thing? Phanpy would be perfect if he had a Ground-type move, but he doesn't. Luxio might be able to handle it and might be able to deal with Charmeleon as well. Servine can't do anything. Ivysaur can handle Charmeleon, but not Metang, and if I send out Luxio against Metang, I can't use Ivysaur.
"Luxio, go."
As soon as the Electric-type materialized, Vale ordered a Spark, which connected before Metang was able to fire off another Confusion. The Steel-type fainted.
"Last Pokémon," Damien said. "Go, Charmeleon."
"Bite," Vale ordered.
"Night Shade."
The Night Shade connected first, but Luxio shrugged off the hit and sank her teeth into Charmeleon's arm.
On Vale's Pokédex, Charmeleon's energy dropped by about half, while Luxio lost one third.
I win.
"Dragon Rage," Damien ordered.
The Delta Pokémon fired a blast of blue flames that hit Luxio, who staggered and then collapsed.
"When did he learn Dragon Rage?" Vale asked.
"Around when he evolved, I think."
"You won, then. There's no way Servine could beat him."
Both Nora's and Damien's mouths fell open.
"I can't believe I just beat you," Damien said.
"Neither can I." Nora looked a bit sheepish.
Vale suddenly realized someone was clapping. A young woman stood a few feet back from the left edge of the battlefield. She had a Delcatty at her side and a Togekiss hovering slightly above her. She wore a flowered sundress and a wide-brimmed hat and carried a Pokéball bag bearing the logo of the Suntouched City Ninetales, the local Contest team.
Vale hurriedly hid her look of disgust when she saw the bag. She hated Contests. She'd always thought of them as less serious than regular battles, with the focus on superficial things like looks. It was no secret that Torren's Contest circuit had started because regional League executives wanted to get more girls into Pokémon Training.
The Contest circuit hadn't been hurt as badly as the Gym circuit when the League shut down in Torren. It had only ever been an affiliate of the League, not directly part of it. Even so, only Suntouched and Helios still maintained Contest teams, which now had to be privately funded.
"That was quite the battle," the woman said. "I'm impressed."
"Not interested," Vale said quickly.
"This isn't a recruitment pitch for the Ninetales, if that's what you mean. We're not currently seeking new members."
"Sorry," Vale said.
"Not a fan of contests, I guess?"
"No."
"It's alright. Not a lot of competitive battlers think very highly of us. I'm used to it."
"How did you know I do competitive?" Vale asked.
"You weren't telling your Pokémon to dodge. Classic sign of an online battler. You're not used to having that option."
"Well, I feel stupid," Vale muttered.
"Wow, she's good," Nora whispered.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask your help with something personal. I have a friend who wants desperately to be a Trainer but seems to have lost the motivation. I was hoping I could find him a couple of strong Trainers to battle and thereby rekindle his passion."
"We can do that, right?" Vale asked, looking at her friends.
"Yeah," Nora said.
"Heal my team first, and I'll give it a shot," Damien said.
"We're in. I'm Vale, by the way."
"Nora."
"Damien."
"Harmony. Pleased to meet you."
"So where are we going?" Vale asked.
"Lately, he's been hanging out up by the old temple a lot," Harmony said.
The man smirked. His job just got easier and easier. He could knock out two Pidgey with one stone this way. The next thing on his agenda was to get to the old temple as fast as he could.
He signaled his ride.
Once Vale and Damien had fully healed their Pokémon, they headed out of the city, to the hill where the temple ruins stood. Harmony flagged down a taxi and paid the fare, which was not insubstantial.
The temple complex retained little of its former glory. Most of the building was in ruins, the result of subsequent earthquakes, as well as good, old-fashioned time. The area around Suntouched City was surprisingly volatile and prone to quakes. Myths from the Multi-sectarian Era portrayed the Legends as being constantly at odds with one another, and some theories said that the area's volatility was Groudon's revenge for being passed over in favor of his white-scaled cousin. The marble of the fallen columns was far from the pristine white it had once been, again courtesy of time. The statue that had once given the temple its fame was no more, crushed when one quake collapsed the roof.
Nature had partially reclaimed the area. Ivy and other climbing plants grew on some of the columns. Where had once been stone floor was now grass once again. Part of the temple still stood, a raised marble platform with a couple pieces of columns extending upward. The rest was crushed and broken, scattered around the hilltop.
A boy of about ten sat on one of the fallen chunks of marble, one that may have once been part of a column but was now weathered beyond recognition. He had fiery red hair and wore tan shorts and bright yellow t-shirt. His belt held four Pokéballs. His eyes were firmly fixed on the item he held in his hand: a perfectly round, white stone. Vale could have sworn that she'd seen it somewhere before but couldn't think of exactly where.
He glanced up as they approached.
"Harmony," he acknowledged, and then his eyes went back to the stone.
"Orion, put that thing away," Harmony admonished. "I found a couple of Trainers willing to battle you."
"I don't want to battle right now," the boy said.
"But you need to." Harmony stepped forward and pried the stone out of his hand.
"Give it back," Orion cried, leaping up.
"Battle one of them first."
"Fine." Orion got up and looked over the three teens. "I want to battle you," he finally said, pointing at Vale.
The boy sent out a Vulpix. The sun immediately intensified.
Drought? This could be problematic, Vale thought.
"You're supposed to wait until I say the rules," Harmony said.
"Let's just get this over with," Orion complained.
"Alright, fine. Anyway, this is a three-on-three battle. Battle ends when one Trainer has no Pokémon able to fight. And since Antsy here jumped the gun, I'll tell you, Vale, that Orion's team consists of a Vulpix, an Ivysaur, a Larvesta, and a Fletchinder."
"Where the heck did he get Pokémon like that?" Nora asked.
"Rich parents, mostly."
Vale sent out Luxio. "Well, this should be an interesting fight," she said. "Good luck."
"Whatever," Orion said. He was still glaring daggers at Harmony.
"Spark," Vale ordered. Luxio charged, her fur crackling with electricity.
"Ember."
"Dodge," Vale cried, finally remembering.
Luxio leapt to the side as the small fireball flew past her and connected with a chunk of marble, then continued her charge, slamming into the Vulpix's side. Vale checked its energy and saw that it was well below half.
"Payback," Orion ordered. Vulpix leapt at Luxio. Vale felt her stomach drop for a second, but the sometimes-extremely-dangerous move actually did very little damage.
Another Spark knocked out the Vulpix.
"Ivysaur," Orion called.
Vale half-considered switching in her own Ivysaur, but then decided Growlithe was the better option. She wanted to end the battle quickly. This boy was starting to get on her nerves.
She switched in her Fire-type.
"Flame Wheel," she ordered. Again the opposing Pokémon's energy dropped by over half. Orion looked slightly panicked, his hand going first to one of his two remaining Pokémon, then the other.
"Do you want to stop the battle?" Vale asked him.
"How are your Pokémon so strong?" he asked.
"They're not that strong. I've only been a Trainer for a couple days, but I've gotten a lot of practice in that time. There's only one way to get better at battling, and that's to battle."
"But it's no fun to lose."
"But that's how you get better."
"Do you want to be a Trainer or not?" Harmony asked.
"Yes!"
"Then you need to find some kind of motivation to keep Training," Nora chimed in. "It helps a lot."
Orion glanced at the stone that Harmony still held. "Okay," he said.
They all decided to hang out on the hill for a while. Nora wanted to explore the ruins. Damien, feeling empowered after defeating Vale, decided to train with Orion. Vale was mostly interested in information. She was getting very curious about that stone.
She and Harmony sat down under an overhanging chunk of marble.
"So how did he find that thing in the first place?" she asked.
"See, I'm his family's live-in nanny. His dad's a successful businessman, and his mom's mostly just a socialite. They wanted to hire someone to keep their son company while they were busy. Someone friendly, energetic, et cetera. I was fairly new in town and had just realized that I'm not as good a coordinator as I thought and that I couldn't make a living off my Contest winnings. So I took the job.
"He was insatiable once he met my Pokémon. He'd always wanted to be a Trainer and wanted me to teach him. I talked his parents into getting him his first couple Pokémon: Vulpix and Ivysaur. Then he asked me to help him catch more.
"He was always drawn to Fire-types, and this place seems to attract them, including some pretty exotic ones." She chuckled a little.
"So this is where you found Larvesta and Fletchinder," Vale guessed.
"Yep. And where he found that stone. About a year ago, it was. He's gotten a little obsessed. He says he's heard it talking to him. I don't know what to make of it."
"I know I've seen that stone somewhere before. I just can't remember where." Vale grabbed a handful of her hair as though she was about to pull it out. "It's infuriating."
"Vale," Nora called. "You may want to see this."
Vale leapt up and stepped out from under the overhanging slab of marble she and Harmony had been sitting under.
Nora came running up. "Look," she said, pointing to the sky.
Vale looked where she was pointing and saw a rapidly growing dark spot.
"I think someone's coming this way," Nora said.
"Friend or enemy, do you reckon?" Vale asked.
"These days, I don't think we should take chances."
"Yeah, good point."
"Orion!" Harmony called and ran off, heading in the direction Damien and Orion had gone.
Damien, Vale thought. She started to run in that direction, then turned back to look at Nora.
Who was staring at the sky, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
Vale followed her line of sight, and then she almost froze too.
The dark spot was much closer now, close enough that Vale could make out what it was.
A gray, dragon-like Pokémon was flying toward them on two thin wings that were not the same size. Its legs were quite thin as well and did not look capable of supporting its body. Its tail was a diminutive, damaged-looking version of Reshiram's and Zekrom's own turbine tails.
Kyurem. With a man on his back.
A wave of bitter cold washed over the two girls, probably the ice dragon's aura. It lasted only a second, and as it receded Nora finally started to run toward Vale.
The dragon's shadow fell across her.
"Run," Nora mouthed, just before the man leapt from Kyurem and tackled her to the ground.
Vale was no match for a Legend. A battle here and now would only end in defeat. She needed help.
So, as much as it pained her to leave Nora, she took off running, looking for Harmony, Orion, and Damien.
Who she almost ran directly into as they headed back in her direction.
"What's going on?" Harmony asked.
Vale explained. Orion's eyes went wide.
"There's really a Legend back there?" he asked in sheer awe. He was once again holding the white stone.
"With a rider. And I think they caught Nora," Vale said.
"Oh, shit," Damien said in horror.
"Language!" Harmony scolded.
The four of them snuck back toward the overhang where Vale had been talking to Harmony.
Damien gasped when he saw.
A man in jeans and a semi-formal button-down shirt had Nora by the arm. He had a gun in his other hand, a gun he was pointing at her. Kyurem hung back, seeming to be watching passively. Nora's face was unreadable, but, knowing her, she was probably more angry than scared.
Another wave of bitter cold washed over them. Again, it only lasted for a second, but that was more than enough time to set Damien's teeth chattering.
Vale waved at the others, telling them to go hide. Damien grabbed Orion and pulled him into the shadow of a broken column. Harmony stuck with Vale, and the two of them kept creeping forward.
About twenty feet back from the clear area where Kyurem had landed, two columns and a piece of roof had fallen in a pile. Vale and Harmony ducked behind it.
"I know you know," the man was saying. "You are traveling with her, and I know she felt it here."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Nora said, sounding awfully confident considering there was a gun pointed at her head.
"I think you do," he said. "And one way or another, you will tell me."
Nora's finger twitched. She was about to reach for a Pokéball.
Instantly, the man pressed his gun to her temple, pushing her head to the side.
Harmony clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.
"Test me, and I will kill you," the man said to Nora.
Vale was absorbed in sizing up the situation. Obviously, the biggest problem here was Kyurem. She'd handled men with guns before. But a Legendary Pokémon? That was way out of her league. The real question was how this guy had control of the dragon in the first place. She remembered reading about how Team Plasma had managed to brainwash him and then had used his powers to commit what amounted to a terrorist attack on Opelucid City. Was that happening again?
Vale was so lost in thought that she didn't initially notice Harmony step out from their hiding place.
"How dare you!" Harmony cried. "How dare you come here and threaten children."
She pulled out a Pokéball. "Mawile, go!" The little Pokémon materialized on the grass. Vale clenched her hand reflexively into a fist. Harmony would get Nora killed if she wasn't careful. Vale forced that thought away before her mind could conjure up an image of Nora being shot.
"You think you can stand against a Legendary?" the man asked.
"With a Steel/Fairy-type? I like my chances," Harmony shot back.
"Do you think you can do it before I shoot her?" he threatened, jabbing his gun at Nora's head.
Harmony gave him a murderous look, but her resolve seemed to leave her. She recalled her Pokémon.
"Call your friends out of their hiding places," he ordered.
"Who says I have anyone with me?" Harmony folded her arms.
"I do. I saw her. Call them, or this one," he shifted his grip on Nora, pulling her against him and putting his arm across her chest, "dies first."
Damien suddenly ran forward. "Hey," he said. "I know you. You gave me Metang."
Vale realized she recognized this man as well.
She stood up. "I remember you too. You're the guy who tried to buy Servine from me."
"Asshole," Nora muttered.
"Shut up," he snarled at her. Then, in a softer tone, he said: "Yes, I did both. We've been watching you both since you got those Delta Pokémon."
Nearly all of the tension in the situation had now evaporated. Vale made a mental note to thank Damien later.
"I thought that's what those were," Harmony said.
"You're from Perfection, right?" Vale said.
"Indeed. Taen, Perfection admin," he introduced himself.
Orion came running up then. "Can someone please explain what's going on?"
Taen's eyes went to the stone Orion still clutched as though pulled there by a magnet.
"Here's the deal," he said. "Hand over the stone, and I'll let your friend go."
"Orion, give me the stone," Harmony said.
"No," the boy said, clutching it tighter.
"Orion, it's just a rock. It's not worth Nora's life."
"If he wants it, it's got to be more than that," Damien chimed in. "Right, Vale?"
Vale was still thinking. She remembered Harmony's words: "This place attracts Fire-types."
I know I've seen that stone somewhere. A round, white stone…how many of those can there be in the world? Harmony said they found it here. What if…
A wave of energy washed across her.
That energy… She turned and looked at Orion. The stone in his hands was starting to glow.
And then she remembered.
"Orion!" she cried. "Drop it!" She tackled the boy to the ground. He lost his grip on the stone, which flew out of his hands and landed in the grass between the two groups.
"Get it, Kyurem," Taen ordered. The dragon didn't move.
"Vale, what was that?" Damien asked.
"I knew I'd seen that stone before, and I just remembered where. My dad's copy of Concerning the Legends. That's the Light Stone."
The stone exploded.
A pillar of fire rushed upward, coalescing into the form of a beautiful white-scaled dragon. Her twin hair-like crests were blown back by the flames that surrounded her. Their tips glowed molten orange, as did her eyes.
"Reshiram," Kyurem greeted in a gravely baritone voice. "Still in protest, I see."
"I will never acknowledge the Edict," Reshiram growled back.
The white Dragon-type was hovering above the temple ruins, still wreathed in fire. If anyone saw this, they would all have a very awkward situation on their hands. Vale checked the time on her PokéGear. It was 5:30, rush hour.
Shit!
Reshiram's attention was now directed towards Taen. "You," she ordered, "will release the girl and leave this place."
Taen and Kyurem exchanged a look, and they apparently decided that picking a fight with Kyurem's more powerful sister was not worth it. Taen shoved Nora to the ground and climbed onto the Ice-type Legend, who hurriedly took flight. It was the weirdest takeoff Vale had ever seen. One second the dragon was on the ground, the next he was in the air. He didn't flap his wings; he just pushed off from the ground and was suddenly airborne.
As they vanished, Vale called out in as respectful a tone as she could manage: "Lady Reshiram, not to intrude, but you should probably land. If someone were to see you…"
Reshiram seemed to realize at that exact moment that she was putting on quite the display. The nimbus of fire surrounding her abruptly winked out of existence, and she landed between two of the still-standing columns. Her eyes and crests stopped glowing, her eyes returning to their natural blue.
Nora stood up and dusted herself off, looking none the worse for wear—either physically or emotionally—for being taken hostage.
"Thanks for the save," she told the white Legend.
"You are quite welcome," the dragon said. "I could not simply ignore what was happening, especially since I was the reason they came here."
"So that's what he meant by an energy source," Nora said.
"And it was your aura attracting all the Fire-types to the ruins, right?" Vale asked.
"That is correct."
Orion was staring at Reshiram with sheer awe in his eyes. "I knew I heard the stone speaking to me," he said.
"And I must thank you for taking the time to listen," Reshiram said. "Communicating in that form is not easy."
Orion reached for a Pokéball. Reshiram shook her head.
"Your Pokémon are too inexperienced to face me. You are not yet worthy."
The boy hung his head. Reshiram crouched down and gently lifted his chin with one claw. "One day soon, that may no longer be the case. Until then, you know where I will be."
Orion jumped back as Reshiram's form dissolved into a pillar of fire, which shrunk down until the Light Stone once again appeared in the grass. There was no sign the Legendary Pokémon of Truth had ever been there.
Aside from the huge grin on Orion's face, that is.
Vale's head was spinning with the amount of information she had just received, information that had, as always seemed to be the case, resulted in more questions than answers. Perfection had put a tail on her, and not just any tail. He was an admin, an admin who had a Legendary Pokémon at his disposal. Why was he tailing her in the first place? He had evidently detected the energy that hung around the temple ruins, energy that she could still feel, she realized, even though the Light Stone was once again inert, giving no sign of its true nature. Had he also detected the energy of the Spark that marked her as Chosen? Vale didn't have to be an expert on the cults to know that they would probably try to kill her if they knew what she was. More than they already were, that is. She wondered if Persephone had somehow known. But then why steal her memories?
Kyurem was another issue. Why would he let himself be controlled by someone like Taen? Legends had allowed themselves to be captured by worthy Trainers countless times throughout history, but they always chose very carefully. No Legend would willingly submit to the sort of person who could take a girl hostage, put a gun to her head, threaten her life, and do all of it seemingly without hesitation. Vale supposed Perfection could have taken a page from Team Plasma's book with regard to keeping him controlled, but it didn't seem that way. He had, after all, barely budged when Taen had ordered him to pick up the stone. Likely, he, unlike his rider, had recognized what it truly was.
Then there was Reshiram. Another Legend, one of the most powerful of them all, in flagrant defiance of the Edict.
The first indication of the Legends having left the world for good had been the reservoirs of energy that existed in places like Sky Pillar and Dragonspiral Tower vanishing, seemingly overnight. Priests and clerics of the Church of Arceus had prayed almost nonstop for days afterward, begging to know why it had happened, if nothing else. After news of the Team Flare incident had hit the news, they'd concluded, not at all unreasonably, that humanity was being punished. Many people now believed that the Legends no longer cared about the world they'd once protected.
Vale had been one of those, but now she wasn't so sure. First, Mew broke the Edict to save her, left, then came back and said that he was going to help her. Then, Celebi came along with her talk about loopholes. Then Reshiram, who was apparently "in protest."
It was never a good idea to tell a god he was wrong, but if the Legends disliked the Edict as much as humans did…
AN: While in Suntouched City, Vale, Nora, and Damien are asked to help out a young Trainer in need of motivation...
This chapter, sigh. This is probably the most important chapter in the entire story prior to the arrival in Helios City. Aside from what happened to Nora, the standoff on the hill is as close to what happens in-game as I could get it. And that wasn't easy, since the presence of two major Legends doesn't exactly line up well with some of the lore of my AU. Once I figured out how to explain that, the chapter was easy to write. Proofreading it was not, however. It took forever to get the standoff scene to be suitably tense. I still don't know if it's there.
So many characters introduced here. Orion and Harmony are both Gym leaders in-game, but since I cut the Gym circuit from the story I needed to do something else with them. I originally intended for Orion to be a Trainer worthy of Gym leadership. But after I realized the number of rare Pokemon on his team-and because Vale ripped through his team in the damage calcs-I decided that he wasn't actually that good and made him a rich kid with the beginnings of an entitlement complex.
Harmony being a nanny was also rather spur-of-the-moment. I envisioned her as a mother figure, so it fit. Making her a Contest battler was a little more thought out. She's also pretty good at conventional battles, however. Her entire battle style is about coming across as unassuming and letting her opponents underestimate her. Also, Vale's opinion of Contests was inspired by my own. I don't like them at all.
Taen is a jerk, but he's also an important character and will hopefully become more likeable later on. As for the big Kyurem question, he and Taen have a complex relationship that will be elaborated on in later chapters. If you're wondering how Perfection caught a Legend in the first place, I have a short story in the works that will explain that.
Reshi's back! I loved her in BWL, and I couldn't wait to bring her back. I had a hard time coming up with a way to have her in this chapter, though. What gave me the idea about her protesting the Edict was a line from BWL about her being humanity's greatest advocate. That's not quite true anymore (remember, it's been a couple millennia), but she was the one most vehemently opposed to the Edict. As soon as it was passed officially, she took off to the human world and refused to come home. She's spent most of the last two centuries in Light Stone form because, protest or not, she still acknowledges the need to hide.
A couple final notes. Vale constantly forgetting to tell her Pokemon to dodge is the result of me forgetting that's an option, which is the result of me writing battles using the game format, where dodging isn't an option.
The Multi-sectarian Era is the name I gave the era of history where every Legend had a sect of worshipers, named such so I don't have to keep track of the exact number of sects. Most of Torren's cults started as attempts to bring back the old sects.
Lastly, that was not a deus ex machina. Reshiram heard everything that was going on on the hill, both the conversation about Orion's motivation to train and what Taen was trying to do, and resolved to do something about both.
Also, remember that final scene, where Vale is thinking. That's foreshadowing for a major subplot.