About four months ago, a mission was given out to seek information regarding feuds between foreign knights that have been recorded in certain areas. Six knights and their Pokémon were assigned this mission and boy did it come with surprises. They had quite the adventure, but the moment they entered the castle's gates, the mission would come to an end. So many things have happened while on this mission, but thankfully they were able to gather so much information. Soul left Rota feeling unprepared to lead a group of skilled and unique individuals, but now she was coming back with friends.
Unfortunately, she lost a friend while on this crazy mission. However, his death never went in vain. Mark was a good man. Hopefully he's living peacefully up in the heavens. It still bothered her that she wasn't able to save him on time, but now there was no changing the past because all she could do now was live in the present. He'd forever be missed.
While on this crazy mission, Soul discovered so many things she had no idea even existed. The history of the Ethereal Sphere was definitely among the most unbelievable thing she found out. What was even more shocking news to her was that the Ethereal Sphere was right under her nose this entire time. This legendary treasure was the root of this feud between the two nations, yet none have acquired knowledge on it. It was fine because now that she knew she was in possession of such thing, she could keep it safe from the greed of others.
As the the squadron walked through the field of green grass, Soul was able to see the familiar structure that was the Cameran Palace. Words couldn't describe how happy and relieved she felt when she noticed how close they were to home. The blonde woman would be lying if she said she didn't miss it through the four months she's been gone. She missed her home and the people she was close to: Queen Rin and Roman. This was the place where she belonged.
A place she could call her home.
The bright blue sky made the sun shine its holy light brightly, creating such a serene atmosphere. The squadron neared the castle's entrance. From here, Soul could see the bored faces of the knights who were on guard duty. Their bored expressions soon turned into one of shock the moment their eyes gazed toward the squadron. One of them snapped out of their trance and nudged the other one, telling him something afterwards.
After that, he quickly ran into the castle, most likely to inform everyone of their return. The squadron arrived at the gate and the knight didn't hesitate to allow them entry as he bowed in respect. Once they passed the gate, the squadron entered the Cameran Palace. Many knights had already gathered in the lobby of the castle: some shocked, others proud while the rest remained with their robotic demeanor.
"Everyone, make way! Queen Rin, Father Malcolm, and General Hayes are coming!"
Upon hearing the command, the knights all parted, making a pathway for them to go through. There, Soul could see all three of them making their way toward them, accompanied by the knight from the gate and as well as an old friend that she missed. Roman's eyes widened in shock when he saw her, but he continued to keep himself professional. They all came to a halt once they were a few feet in front of them. The blonde woman took a step forward and saluted to her superiors, taking charge as leader of this squadron.
"We have returned from our mission and brought back intel just as you informed us," Soul reported. General Hayes stepped forward, his face still holding that strict demeanor she didn't necessarily miss.
"Hand it all over and I shall relieve you all from the mission," he spoke.
With an "aye sir", Soul dropped her hand from the salute and fished out the two notebooks from her backpack. The moment these notebooks were in his hands, they'd all be done with this mission. Without hesitation, the blonde woman handed them over to General Hayes. He took them from her hand and saluted back to her.
"Now that I have obtained the intel you have gathered, I hereby relieve you of your mission. You have all completed the mission successfully," he informed.
"Aye sir!" The squadron saluted in unison.
Unexpectedly, everyone erupted into a loud cheer. All of the knights around them clapped, whistled, and the lancers all raised their spears. This was surely something Soul was taken aback of, but thankfully she was able to regain her composure before making a fool out of herself. After all, she was Major Soul Fraverden, one of Rota's best knights and aura guardian. She was not letting her hard earned reputation get ruined.
Perhaps her ego would do that before her attitude did.
The crowd of cheering knights had calmed down and General Hayes had them all get back to work. Once the lobby of the castle was cleared, Soul was immediately pulled into a tight embrace by none other than Queen Rin.
"I'm so happy to have you back, Soul," she beamed.
The blonde woman's features softened when she felt something wet land on her right shoulder. Soul wrapped her arms around the Queen as well and returned the embrace. It was warm and full of love, something she would imagine a mother's hug to have felt like.
"I am relieved to see you all back home in one piece," Father Malcolm spoke as Soul pulled away from the Queen's embrace.
"We are glad to be back, Father Malcolm." Akira smiled.
"Well then, let us all go discuss this more in the conference room. We do not want our guest to keep waiting for your arrival," Father Malcolm said with a closed eyed smile.
"That is correct," General Hayes piped up. "Come, we have a lot to discuss."
General Hayes opened up the double doors to the conference room. Elliot looked their way, his brilliant mint green eyes peeking up at the knights. The platinum haired man excused himself from the conversation he was having with his grandfather, informing him that the knights had arrived.
"Duke Belray!" Akira and Blake shouted in unison.
The young man stood up from his seat and walked with such a posh manner, his proper etiquette shining through. He stopped right in front of Blake and Akira, flashing them a closed eyed smile.
"It is nice to have you two back. It would be a shame if I lost two of my best knights," he spoke before opening his eyes again, sadness beginning to form in them as he looked around. "Although, there appears to be one of you missing."
Soul's eyes darken as the atmosphere suddenly became tense. They had not talked about that subject ever since it happened. However, what happened to Mark needed to be known. His death was not in vain because his noble sacrifice helped them take down the fugitives.
"Duke Belray," Soul started calmly, causing him to look at her. "I... regret to inform you that... t-that, uh..."
"Mark was killed during our mission, Milord," Aaron finished her sentence.
Soul looked at him over her shoulder with a grateful look, him giving her a small nod in return. She wanted to tell him herself of Mark's death, but she suddenly lost her voice because she couldn't bring herself to say those five words. The blonde woman looked back at Elliot, who held a solemn yet saddened look.
"Then that letter Lady Amelia sent us was true after all, huh?" He chuckled humorlessly. "I owe her one for being kind enough to bury his body."
"I take full responsibility your highness," Soul mumbled as her gaze dropped. "If you want anyone to blame, I will gladly take it."
"There is no need for that, Major Fraverden," Elliot assured with a sad smile. "I promise you his death was not your fault, nor do I want you to feel that way. Mark would not forgive himself if you did."
"... Right, of course." She hesitantly nodded.
"Well then, shall we begin our meeting now?" General Hayes questioned, almost sounding impatient.
Everyone took a seat at the conference table. All of the Pokémon were sent to the garden outside while the knights stayed to talk about the mission. Lieutenant Colonel Moreno and Major General Newman entered the conference room as well. Usually with big missions like this one, all of the Trinity must be involved as well. Soul and the other knights told them everything that happened in each location they went to.
All the while, General Hayes started reading through the journal that contained the intel she wrote throughout this mission. The blonde woman explained to him about the other one, to which he said he would take a look at too. When they finished the overall briefing of everything that went down, the Trinity also informed them of what happened during the four month period they've been gone. Apparently, some of the knights from both sides had gotten arrested for causing trouble around the area. They tried interrogating them, but it was all futile because the knights ended up bickering with each other.
However, Soul really wished they continued discussing that topic rather than the one thing that could potentially start a war. General Hayes slammed the journal on the table, causing silence among everyone and look at him, some of them startled by his sudden action. The Trinity member's eyes were wide yet filled with anger as he hastily stood up and pointed an accusing finger toward Soul, causing her eyes to widen.
"You!" he shouted. "They are all after you!"
"General, have you gone mad?" Major General Newman questioned, giving him a quizzical look. "What on earth could Major Fraverden have done for the foreign armies to come after her?"
"It is all in these notes, take a look!" General Hayes slid the journal to Major General Newman before looking over at the other Trinity member. "You too, Lieutenant Colonel. See for yourself!"
The Trinity members all read over the page containing the one personal piece of information that Soul had hesitantly written down after she found out about it herself. Unconsciously, her hands balled up into fists as her eyes hardened. The moment they all found out about the Ethereal Sphere, only Arceus knew what they would do to her.
"Impossible," she heard Lieutenant Colonel Moreno mutter incredulously. "Such a treasure actually exists?"
"It seems the foreign military are all after it as well."
"Not only that, but it seems that our very own Major Fraverden is in possession of such a thing."
"What do we do, General?"
"Would someone tell me what on earth is going on?!" Queen Rin shouted, slamming a hand on the table with an irritated look on her face.
"Yes please, what have you all found out?" Father Malcolm asked in a calm manner.
"And what does Major Fraverden have to do with it?" Elliot added, his face showing clear confusion.
"The Johto and Hoenn Knights are after the legendary treasure called the Ethereal Sphere, a key rumored to be able to summon the legendary Pokemon Mew," Lieutenant Colonel Moreno explained, causing the Queen, Pastor, and Duke to react with surprise.
"No way..." Elliot muttered under his breath.
"And if that is not enough, Major Fraverden is the holder of such treasure," General Hayes informed everyone in a bitter tone, his eyes narrowing at the blonde woman as if silently putting the blame on her.
Soul's teeth gritted together as she hastily stood up from her seat and glared back at him. If he was trying to pin all of this on her, she would not stand back and allow him to do so. She would not let him push her around anymore, even if it cost her the insignia he gave her. Soul felt someone's hand grab her wrist, but immediately she yanked it out of the grip and slammed her fist on the table.
She didn't care who she was against right now, but she would not let herself be used as a scapegoat!
"I understand you are upset that the root of this problem is right under my nose, but there is no need for you to blame it on me," Soul claimed, her fists shaking from the anger that began to well up within her. General Hayes scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The other Trinity members seemed uncertain, which made it clear they weren't sure whether they should agree with what General Hayes was accusing her of or not.
"Sir, Major Fraverden had no clue about the Ethereal Sphere until we reached Sirena's Island. She was left in the dark about it almost her entire life." Akira backed her friend up, also standing up from her seat.
"Yeah, it is not fair of you to hold her responsible for all of this," Blake added, a look of annoyance crossing his features.
"Well we cannot simply ignore this unexpected truth!" General Hayes spoke in a demanding tone.
This was how he always acted. Whenever he heard of something serious, he wanted to handle the situation his way and only his way. He'd also find a way to slowly take her down being the misogynistic man he was. Thankfully, whatever he wanted to do couldn't be done unless the other two members of the Trinity agree.
"I say we arrest her."
Soul's eyes widened in shock as she looked at General Hayes incredulously. She could hear the others gasp or release some sound of shock once those words left his lips. Based on that hard look on his face, the blonde woman could tell that it would be difficult to change his mind. Luckily, many of them knew a method of twisting his decision.
Logic, excellent logic you couldn't go against.
Yes, something as simple as logic was their great General's weakness.
"And on what charges would you arrest me for, hm?" Soul challenged, a cocky smirk playing at her lips. General Hayes seemed taken aback, but regained his composure to give his answer.
"For allegedly possessing a war item," he answered back confidently.
"That is rubbish and you know it!"
"You dare speak to your superior with that tongue, little girl?!"
"Little girl?!"
Before Soul could even pounce at General Hayes, she heard the sound of chairs sliding on the floor and felt two people holding her back. Immediately, the blonde woman started squirming and moving around to get them to let her go. She looked over her shoulder to see it was Axel and Aaron who were holding her back. Lieutenant Colonel Moreno and Major General Newman holding back General Hayes, who was thrashing about to escape their grip.
"Soul, you need to control yourself," Aaron muttered in my ear. "Remember that he is the General as well as your boss. I need you to listen to me and calm down."
Hesitantly, Soul relaxed herself and gave up on trying to get them to let go of her. Eventually, General Hayes did the same and stopped his thrashing. Everyone else in the room sighed in relief, as if they have prevented a bloody mess that was foreseen. The blonde woman sighed in annoyance, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. If it weren't for Aaron and Axel holding her back, she would have pummeled him until he cried uncle.
She could tell everyone else was worried it could happen based on the uncertain glances they gave her. Despite all he said to her, General Hayes was still part of the Trinity of Powers, basically her boss. She worked too hard to get where she was and she won't let it all go down the drain over something as petty as that.
"Please, may we all just talk this through in a calm manner?" Queen Rin asked in a tender tone. "I do not want to see any more violence..."
"Yes, I agree with Her Highness," Elliot added, his warm demeanor becoming more serious. "I will not tolerate any misbehavior in her presence. Is that understood you two?"
"...Yes sir," Soul muttered.
"I understand," General Hayes added.
"Good, now that that's settled." Major General Newman cleared his throat. "I have come up with a proposition that I am positive will satisfy everyone."
"Well then let us hear it!" Father Malcolm exclaimed.
"We will not arrest Major Fraverden under any charges. She did not break any laws, nor is there evidence to convict her of any crimes."
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. For a moment, she was afraid they were actually going to arrest her over some ludicrous excuse. If it were any other person, she had a feeling she would be staying in that dungeon for the rest of her life. She might as well have been hanged in the gallows. However, if they weren't going to arrest her, then what were they going to have her do?
They couldn't exactly take the Ethereal Sphere from her and lock it away somewhere.
"However, we cannot have her roaming around as she pleases. Therefore, we will have to keep her under strict surveillance twenty four hours every day until further notice."
"I might as well have been sentenced to house arrest..." Soul muttered bitterly as she made her way to the lobby where her two other teammates were lingering about.
Honestly, her being placed under twenty four hour surveillance? That's definitely invading her personal space and depriving her of her privacy.
"I understand that you're upset about all of this, but don't you think it's better than you getting thrown into the dungeon?" Aaron suggested as an attempt to calm her down.
"I really don't care about any other alternatives," Soul blurted out, stopping her walking and turning around to face him. "I'm sick of it, everything!"
At that moment, all the pent up emotions from the mission had finally been released. Yes, it's true— she was sick of these two nations who were suppose to be their allies fighting on Kanto's grounds. She was sick of hearing how much they hated each other. She was sick of all the damage they've caused innocent civilians. Most importantly, she was sick of their greedy desire for the Ethereal Sphere.
This was all just a huge problem on everyone, especially her.
"Hey, it's okay to be upset about all of this," Aaron comforted her. "I understand why you're sick of it, but there isn't really much of a choice to make under these circumstances."
Soul's lips tugged down into a small frown as she dropped her gaze to the floor beneath her. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She held the key that people were killing each other over. If they somehow knew about the Ethereal Sphere and where it was, there's no doubt that this castle would be under attack.
"On the upside, you have me keeping you under watch. It's not all that bad, right?" he said, trying to lighten her mood a bit. Soul couldn't help but let her lips turn upward into a crooked grin.
"No, I suppose not," she admitted.
Just like always, he was right. Soul was lucky he was assigned to keep an eye on her since she didn't mind. If it was anyone else, then she would have been even more mad. Aaron smiled and took hold of her hand, causing that strange warmth to crawl up to her cheeks. Even after everything that happened between them at Sirena's Island, she still wasn't use to them being a couple. It was very strange and very foreign to her.
"Let's go say goodbye to Akira and Blake. Who knows when we'll see them again?" Aaron suggested, to which Soul nodded in agreement to.
The two of them walked through the halls and down the stairs that led to the lobby of the castle. There, she spotted Father Malcolm speaking with Elliot. Akira and Blake were lingering behind and to her surprise, Soul saw Axel walking up to them. She and Aaron walked up to them as well.
This was it. The squadron was going to split after being together for about four months.
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Blake spoke. "But it's going to be weird not having you all around."
"Yeah." Akira nodded in agreement. "We've been together for so long. For us to be separated afterwards feels..."
"Different?" Soul suggested. Akira softly smiled and replied with a quiet "yeah".
"We've created something most knights would normally dismiss as a weakness," Axel stated, a small smile playing at his lips. "Bonds."
"Our bonds together are very special," Aaron added. "Let's make sure we don't lose them because we've been separated."
"Agreed." Soul looked between Akira and Blake. "Continue your duties as knights, but don't ever sever the bonds between us. Also, don't sever the bond between the both of you. Work hard side by side and protect those who are important to you. As a last request from your leader, I order you to do exactly that."
Both Akira and Blake nodded in agreement. After Elliot and Father Malcolm finished their conversation, the knights bid each other their final goodbye before they left to go back to Indigo Palace. Soul was going to miss them. It wouldn't be the same without them around any more.
Soul sighed in relief as she exited the tailor chamber with a fresh and new navy blue coat. It looked exactly like the one she had before she left for that mission. When Soul told her what happened to it, the blonde woman could tell that the tailor was thinking of many ways to kill her. Luckily, she didn't harm a hair on her head because apparently she was in a good mood today. You could never tell with that woman if you're on her hit list or not.
After she left the tailor chamber, Soul met up with Aaron again. It got rather tedious knowing that she had to be watched by someone like a babysitter would to a child. She wasn't even allowed to go outside the castle to train, which kind of bummed her out. Training was essential to her or else she'd start to slowly lose her strength and stamina. It looked like it was the end for her training until all this just blew over.
As Aaron and Soul walked through the castle, she noticed the balcony door opened. The first thing she saw was the blonde royal standing there, watching something under the clear night sky. The blonde woman looked over at Aaron with a quizzical look, who only shrugged in response. Her curiosity got the best of her, making her enter through the door and stand on the balcony as well.
The Queen stood there, her gaze never once tearing away from whatever it was she was looking at. Her face seemed void of emotion, but her light hazel eyes glowed with uncertainty and maybe even fear.
"Milady, is everything alright?" Soul asked.
"I have a bad premonition. I only hope it is not true," she replied, not tearing her gaze away from what she was looking at.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Aaron asked.
"They are spilling blood onto the grounds of this harmless nation, all for something we have." Queen Rin removed her gaze from the distance and locked her eyes with Soul's green eyes. "Something that you have."
"I promise you, I will not leave this castle," she vowed, trying to give the worried Queen some form of comfort.
"I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want them to take you away from us. Soul, you are like a daughter to me. If anything were to happen to you, I—"
A loud boom echoed loudly through the entire castle, cutting off what Queen Rin was trying to say. Startled, Soul walked closer to the railing to get a better look at what happened. A cloud or two of smoke rose as flashes of light sparked from different directions. She could hear the sound of metal clashing against metal, cries of war against cries of pain. Her eyes widened in shock as an involuntary gasp escaped her lips when she watched the scene before her.
Two foreign military made up of numerous knights from different nations clashed with one on other. One side bore their red insignias while the other bore their green insignias, their Pokémon also bearing the color to distinguish themselves from one another. This battle was not just like any other fight, it's not to settle some sort of dispute.
The two nations prepared for war.