Draco: PRE-SUBMIT EDIT: I'm going to repeat a point I feel like I've made before. If you're going to ask a question and expect me to answer, you need to be logged in so I can actually know who you are and can contact you. I'm not going to respond to nameless guest reviews in my author's comments. END PRE-SUBMIT EDIT

I'm gonna save the ramble about Mega Evolution for the bottomside so this topside isn't super-crowded.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.


Ultra Kingdom - Devastated Land: Sacred Vow

"Wow, not much of a bridge."

The kingdom was connected to the town around it by a long, narrow bridge over a broad moat running through stone. Everyone in their party was able to cross it well enough, but with the breadth of the beasts in this place, Oichi suspected if they were to try to cross it, they'd end up in the drink. To her surprise, the water in the moat looked to be qute clear clear; she had her suspicions that it would be safe to drink.

"You said you'd never come into this place," Gracia observed, looking at the progressively worse condition the castle was in towards the left side. "Didn't you ever try to climb around?"

Kotarō shook his head. "When I tried to step outside the walls, there was nothing beneath my feet. I have no intention of discovering how deep the drop is because I tried an unorthodox entrance and lost my footing."

The castle doors indeed held quite fast against attempts to force it open, no matter how many of them added their strength to it - and was built such that an angry Aura Sphere from Lucario blew a hole in it rather than causing the entirety to collapse. However, by looking through that hole, Gothitelle was able to use her psychic power to lift the bar and locks on the other side, whereupon the doors swung open easily enough.

Unfortunately, it was immediately clear that whatever had caused most of the damage to the town had not been the beasts, as the castle entrance hall was in a similar condition. With a sigh, Oichi glanced around. "With that bridge," she observed, "those beasts most likely aren't going to be in here."

One of the Cosmog gave a shimmering cry.

"Guzzlord, you say?" Kotarō smirked. "And from whence did that name come, I wonder." There was an unmistakable sarcasm in his voice at the comment.

Oichi shook her head. "Anyways, without beasts in here, I reckon it would be relatively safe for us to split up and search this place. That said..."

"Keep in parties with at least type advantage all the same," Ranmaru finished.

"Mitsunari and Masanori can come with me," Kiyomasa mused.

"I'll go with Lord Ranmaru," Gracia requested.

"And I, as well," Okuni added.

Oichi nodded. "Alright." She glanced around; there was a large door on either side of the entrance hall, and a stairwell that led to a single door on the second floor. "I'll take the upper floor, if you guys don't mind."

Ranmaru and the girls headed to the left side of the hall - which, from the outside look, would be the damaged side of the castle - and the troublemakers took the right side. Once they were gone, Type: Full levelled his gaze on Zoroark, who regarded him warily, and Kotarō turned to face Oichi. "I suspect you have further motives for parting into parties than simply covering more ground."

"You've done nothing to earn my trust so far," Oichi reprimanded. "I'd rather keep you where you can do the least damage."

"I brought you to this place, didn't I?" Kotarō argued.

"To keep your path out of this Distorted otherworld safe," Oichi observed. "Kindness motivated by self-interest is no kindness at all."

"Ha..." Kotarō smirked. "A far cry you are from the whimpering medic who was surprised to take a blow to her body instead of her weapon."

Oichi aimed her staff at him. "You're a mockery to what Warriors are meant to be," she reprimanded.

"A Warrior is a warmonger," Kotarō argued. "A man innate with bloodlust."

"The power to forge a Link comes with the desire to do battle for the battle's own sake," Oichi corrected. "No blood need be spilled to sate it. Let alone what you did to the people of Yaksha."

Kotarō shook his head. "And you have ever left me wondering what you lot did to the people of Yaksha," he observed. "To think they would be pulled from the umbras of their hearts so irrevocably..."

Oichi's staff moved; Kotarō meant to defend against a blow to his body and found the shaft instead sweeping against his claws. One set was pried off of his right hand, and before he could try to reclaim them the other was knocked from his left - the claws clattered to the ground, immobile and helpless. Zoroark tried to charge Oichi, only for Full to intercept him, pinning him to the ground beneath forelegs that glowed with Fairy light; when Kotarō made to reclaim his weapons, Oichi pushed the head of her staff against his chest.

"Look," the healer snapped. "We can get you out of here. But the destination on the other side of the gate isn't under our control. We have no idea how long it will be before we see Ransei again. And I am not going to tolerate you being a sadistic little bag of Mulch as soon as you have a road out of Guzzlord territory. If you're going to spend any amount of time with us, I will have your word that you will treat us as we treat our allies - not at you have treated yours."

"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Very well. You have it on my honour as a Warlord."

The healer narrowed her gaze. "You've run off on your kingdom twice now," she reminded him. "I have no reason to believe that your honour as a Warlord is worth anything."

Kotarō's smirk fell. "On the power to forge a Link, then," he corrected. "Without that, I'm no Warrior at all."

"Only a Trainer," Oichi observed.

"A what?" There was genuine confusion on his face.

"People who fight alongside Pokémon outside of Ransei," Oichi elaborated. "Brother's been telling stories about them since he got back for the wedding."

"And you think I would be just as capable if I were to act as one of these 'Trainers', do you?" Kotarō demanded. "How can I promise you anything if you refuse to accept it?"

"I think you know exactly what to tell me in order for me to accept it," Oichi observed.

There was silence in the entrance hall for a long moment; then Kotarō stepped back, fell to one knee, and pressed his hands against each other - index and middle fingers pressed together, others splayed apart - as he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I am Kotarō of Yaksha. Under sacred vow, upon my own life and the Distortion World itself, home to Antimatter who shall hold my soul should my vow be broken, I swear my loyalty to Oichi of Dragnor, in battle, out of battle, across Ransei, across the seas, through the skies and within the depths of the earth itself..."

+x+x+x+

"...no matter where I may be."

When Nobunaga and his underlings had arrived in Yaksha, the last thing Kotarō had expected to do was swear anything to the Fool of Dragnor. But six of the most infamous names in eastern Ransei had marched into the courtyard of Yaksha Castle and bested him and his Umbra shinobi in combat - and the Sky Demon of Ransei had made him swear a sacred vow that the Yakshan Warlord would serve as a man of his army.

Sixty seconds passed after the last words left Kotarō's lips; then Nobunaga stepped forward, and set two fingers upon the Yakshan's shoulder as he passed.

There were a lot of rules Kotarō was willing to break, but a sacred vow on Distortion was not one of them. So he had served as one of Nobunaga's generals, and ruled over Yaksha awaiting orders - and when Evia of Aurora had bested him in combat, he and Zoroark had travelled to Nixtorm, as he had been told. When he arrived, Mitsuhide had instructed him to remain in the castle until Nobunaga arrived - and once the Fool of Dragnor had arrived, they had met one another in the castle courtyard.

"Tell me that you fought to the best of your abilities," Nobunaga warned.

"And was overcome all the same," Kotarō confirmed.

Nobunaga nodded. "Then your failing is no fault of yours," he proclaimed. "Kneel."

Kotarō pulled his claws from his gauntlets, fell to his knees, and set his weapon upon the snow before pressing his hands together once again.

+x+x+x+

"...no matter where I may be."

Oichi was silent for sixty seconds; then she stepped forward and set two fingers upon Kotarō's shoulder as she passed him. Type: Full lifted his claws from Zoroark, who righted himself with an irritable huff, and Kotarō picked up his claws, clasping them onto the backs of his gauntlets once more.

"Any ongoing orders, Lady Oichi?" he demanded. "Conditions on which to tender my resignation from your army, perhaps?"

+x+x+x+

"A bit unnecessary, don't you think? Isn't verbal confirmation enough?"

Ginchiyo's question had Evia shaking her head. She and Oichi had been seeing each of the Warlords of western Ransei to their castles in person - and for good reason, with the terms under which the kingdoms were being returned.

"I know you said the oath was a formality," the Auroran insisted, "but the oath was made all the same. So I need to release you from it - properly. Or Hatched Destruction will be a blessing on you, for no fault of your own."

The Violitian sighed. "Very well," she conceded.

Oichi watched as Ginchiyo dropped to her knees and pressed her hands together, closing her eyes. Evia stepped forward and set two fingers upon the Warlord's pauldron.

"I am Evia of Aurora. With Antimatter as my witness, I release you from your sacred vow to serve me, in battle, out of battle. Henceforth, you answer only to those of your own choosing - until the day the Distortion World takes you."

Silence draped the courtyard of Violight for sixty seconds; then she lifted her fingers away and stepped past her, and Ginchiyo got to her feet, dusting off her greaves. She and Muneshige headed back inside, and Evia stepped up to Oichi. "I'm gonna tour around the trigram for a bit," she observed. "You want to wait for me in Aurora?"

"You don't want my company?" Oichi asked.

Evia smiled. "Not that," she insisted. "But it would be nice to have someone to come home to."

Oichi turned deep red at her comment. "I-If you'd like," she conceded. "You released Motochika and Motonari earlier, right?"

"Yes," Evia confirmed, her face falling. "Is that why you...?"

"Part of it," Oichi confirmed. "I wanted to see you release them firsthand. After what we went through up there..."

"I know what you mean," Evia admitted. "Those vows have a whole new weight to them. After what we saw... I never want to ask an oath like that of anyone again."

She held her hand before her - where the mark of the Alpha's rings had shone while her Link had held.

+x+x+x+

"You're not to bring harm to any of us," Oichi proclaimed, glancing at Kotarō over her shoulder. "For any reason. And if any of us are in danger, you'll do your damnedest to keep us safe - Warriors and Pokémon alike. Am I clear?"

"Crystalline," Kotarō confirmed.

+x+x+x+

A day's searching (not that the clouds had gotten any less impenetrable, but everyone was as tired as if a day had been spent) revealed that the castle was indeed devoid of beasts. Alas, the hopes of warm beds had been struck down; there were a few chambers that seemed to be bedrooms, but the only thing that even resembled a bed was a bloodstained pile of feathers in the nicest of them.

"I'm still thinking we shouldn't go without a watch," Gracia suggested.

"Definitely," Okuni agreed. "I'll take the first one."

Dinner was dished out; as she was finishing up, Oichi turned to Ranmaru. "You said you found a close path to the moat?" she asked. "Could you show me the way?"

Ranmaru nodded. "Certainly."

The two Warriors, Lucario, and Type: Full made their way through the castle; the access was through what seemed to be a dungeon of some kind, though none of the cells looked like they'd had doors for ages. The moat was broad enough and flowing fast enough that Oichi wouldn't want to try her luck swimming across, but the door deposited them on the inner shore, barely above water level, offering her a chance to empty her staff and refresh it.

"May I see it?"

Her question had Ranmaru starting. "See what?"

Oichi lifted her staff from the water, standing it at her side. "The stone, in your glove."

Lucario gave a smarmy-sounding growl; Ranmaru sighed, angling his hand down and withdrawing his fingers into the glove so as to open the finger holes for the stone to slip out through. He handed the stone to Oichi, who accepted it in her free hand and held it before her. "Where did you find this?"

Ranmaru shook his head. "The rock garden, in the Kartana's bamboo grove. The day we split up."

"And that was the first time it reacted like that?" Oichi mused. "Lucario, let me see yours."

The Aura Pokémon stepped forward, turning his back so that Oichi could open the pocket in the holster she'd made for him. The stone they'd found in the Celesteela's valley was no different than when she'd put it in there (although she felt like it had less of the granite flakes on its outer surface than it had before), yet as she held it in one hand and Ranmaru's in the other, she felt a strange resonance.

"Interesting," she murmured, her eyes flickering purple. "They're definitely reacting to each other... But it's not going anywhere." She handed Lucario's stone back to him and held Ranmaru's towards it once he had it in his hands. "That one's reacting to you, but not to this one while I'm holding it."

She handed it back to Ranmaru, who closed his fist on it uncertainly - and was surprised when neither Lucario or his stone showed any difference. "Still nothing?" he mused, opening his hand again. "But earlier, it..."

After a moment, Oichi stepped back. "I wonder if it's reacting to battle somehow," she mused. "Spar with me and Full."

"Alright, then..." Ranmaru helped put Lucario's stone back in his holster before stepping back as well.

Full nodded in acknowledgement.

Lucario smirked, taking a fighting stance.

Oichi tapped her staff on the ground beneath her. "Begin!"

The two Pokémon charged at one another.

Ranmaru closed his fist on his stone again.

And this time, it did react. That prismatic light pulsed from the stone in Lucario's holster, and Ranmaru held his stone forward as it began to do the same. Full skidded to a halt as that dome of light surrounded Lucario - and when it cracked and shattered once again, his form was changed as it had been in the fight with the Guzzlord. The stone and the holster that had held it seemed to have vanished, a small detail that had gone unnoticed in the heat of battle; Lucario ground to a halt, looking over himself more attentively now that he didn't have a beast storming down on him.

"That's interesting," Oichi mused. "It's not like... evolution, quite. It's like you're just... filled with power." Full made to raise his claws, and Lucario reacted; he dashed to Full's side and bombarded him with punches as he had the Guzzlord, and though it didn't have the impact on a Fairy-type as it did on a Dark-type, it still had quite the power to it. "And there's a new... versatility to you," she observed. "I've never seen a Pokémon do something like this."

"Nor have I," Ranmaru confirmed.

After a moment, Full and Lucario deliberately stepped away from one another; and that softer glow washed over Lucario again, returning him to how he was. "Odd," Oichi murmured. "It's like the stones are... reacting to the flow of battle. Like they can tell when you're fighting and when you're not, and they let you do that."

Ranmaru took a deep breath and sighed. "In any case, it's getting late," he observed. "We should head back."

"Yeah," Oichi agreed, "sounds good." She held out her hand to Ranmaru. "You want me to put that in something a little more reliable?"

"If you insist," Ranmaru conceded, handing her the stone.

They started back into the ruined castle; as they were approaching the dungeon exit, Ranmaru spoke up. "Lady Oichi, I... happened to overhear your conversation with Kotarō in the entrance hall."

"Did you, now." Oichi wasn't terribly surprised.

"Might I ask your motive for demanding his vow?" Ranmaru asked. "I mean, Lord Nobunaga wanted to ensure his Warriors' loyalty in the face of... his motivations, but this odyssey shouldn't-"

"Kotarō is a madman," Oichi insisted, "and the Warrior's blessing has only enabled him. He's tried to kill me twice now. He wants to get out of this place - I don't know for sure how much he cares where else he ends up. The vow was the only way I knew for sure he wouldn't try anything until we were back home. If it had been any other Warrior in Ransei - even that asshat Takatora - I wouldn't have made them swear it."

Ranmaru took a deep breath. "After what we saw atop that tower," he observed, "I don't blame you."


Draco: So, I know I took a look at the idea of Pokémon Conquest as a Generation VI game back in Chapter 2, but it was mostly for the introduction of the Fairy type, I didn't really analyze the idea of including Mega Evolution. After giving it more thought, I can think of two possible setups for Warriors to be Mega Evolution capable.

1) It's a Warlord-exclusive thing, possibly even a Rank II/III-exclusive thing. Warlords, exclusively, have the ability to perform Mega Evolution (reflected in wearing Key Stones on their sprites the same way it's reflected on Trainers' models in the core series). The Warlord must be equipped with the Mega Stone corresponding to the Pokémon they send out into battle; once the conditions are met, Mega Evolution is an option.

2) There is a held item Key Stone that you only get one of and is carried over between playthroughs, in the manner of the Jigglypuff Charm that you get for Oichi or the Warlord-specific Crystals that Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Tadakatsu get. Maybe have it that Mega Stones just need to be in your inventory like Let's Go. Any Warrior can carry the Key Stone into battle and be able to perform Mega Evolution if their Pokémon is capable.

I think they'd still have the one-Mega-per-battle cap even with option 1, but I think I'd prefer option 2. Not all Warlords have a Mega-capable Pokémon as their Perfect Link. Regardless of option, I feel like Mega Stones would also be carry-overs between save files; maybe have them for sale from those randomized wandering merchants, all their wares are shared between files. Also, they gave Rayquaza its fancy Meteorite as a substitute Mega Stone in one of the spinoffs, I suspect they'd do the same here. And probably have Groudon's Primal Reversion run on the same mechanics.

As for the mechanics when a Pokémon is Mega-Evolved, that's another gauntlet. Given examples like Charizard and Mewtwo's X-type Mega Evolutions, I feel like triggering a Mega Evolution should also come with a change in move. However, that would risk affecting the tactical value of their existing move. My setup would be that triggering the Mega Evolution proceeds to giving you the choice of which move to attack with. And, with the existing condition that a given Mega Evolution has a fixed ability regardless of which ability slot the Pokémon has, I'm thinking the same would entail here.

With all that made clear, here's Lucario's Mega-Evolved battle info.

Mega Lucario
-Range: 3
-Move: Aura Sphere | Close Combat
-Ability: Conqueror

Close Combat (Fighting)
-Attack area: single tile in front
-Effect: 1-stage Defense reduction to user