BP: To the readers out there, I am sure you're celebrating that FS is over, and now it's time for the AV to shine! I am also glad I managed to finish a fic from the PAL Series.
As you all know, I've been looking for a job lately, and unfortunately, some jobs I applied to had a writing test, and making me write samples before they even consider an interview. I haven't been successful yet, but it doesn't mean I am going to give up.
So when I am not going to an interview or writing a sample for a job or something, I've decided to work on my fanfics.
Ash watched desolately as Phillip literally knocked out Alder's fifth Pokémon, Conkeldurr with a well-aimed white beam of energy with light blue energy fired from the inside of its claws. It was expected, as Ash did say not to give the opponents any mercy, and no throwing away matches. This means that everyone in PAL is going for the win with all their strength.
Phillip had a smile on his face, the same smile he always wore, the same smile that would never give away the fact that he was actually less empathetic than he seemed. The only difference was the darkness of his eyes as he looked at Alder was slightly clear, a look that said he wasn't going to give any mercy. He could see why Phillip was the Elite Leader before Pakura had defeated him, and wondered if his socially awkward persona was an act.
Ash inwardly smirked. Now that Rosaline was gone, it meant that PAL is no longer tainted. After all, while it was true Rosaline saw the best in everyone, it was tiring to hear her making excuses herself and other people that clearly had done something bad. In fact, Ash knew she would still try to find an explanation for their actions other than the glaringly obvious one if she could even when her excuses were refuted by the evidence and other facts.
It may have meant they have one less person to help try and get the trophy, but it did not matter. Even if she was counted out, they've still got four good players on the team, ignoring the thought that they would have to take each other out if they want to win the trophy. However, Ash knew if all of them made it to the Top 4, the trophy would be assured to be awarded to their region.
Ash looked to his wife, who was watching Phillip's match with a blank look on her face. As usual, his wife looked flawless yet natural, and looked unyielding in her posture. He felt this was one of the few good things about the events happening in PAL lately, getting Pakura.
Meanwhile, Cynthia was glowering as she watched Pakura and Champion Red. Rosaline had been missing ever since she promised to help get back at Pakura and to an extent, win Champion Red's heart. She wondered if Pakura had killed Rosaline herself to silence her, and got angry at the thought. As if Pakura hadn't done enough damage to those girls already, and she was willing to take out her own Elite for her own agenda. Just how selfish was Princess Pakura, making use of her public image and authority to get away with this? Not to mention, she was corrupting Champion Red himself, and ruining her relationship with him.
'She should have a weakness somewhere.' Cynthia thought, biting her thumb. Her research on Pakura Ameyuri for any weaknesses did not yield any results, and all she found out was Pakura had built a fearsome and respectable reputation for herself that is iron-clad. Cynthia was sure she had dark secrets, as it was well-known that she is the region's best assassin. If only she could find a way to find out what it is…
"What are you thinking about, Cynthia?" Aaron asked from next to her. He had a somewhat fearful look on his face.
"Huh?" Cynthia blinked.
"Well, you had a scary look on your face like you are plotting to kill someone." Flint said hesitatingly. "Did that someone offend you?"
Cynthia gave a smile. "Sorry, just thinking about everything that is going on lately. Didn't mean to scare you."
Bertha sighed and shook her head, "Cynthia, I really don't know what's going on with you lately. What I do know is that you're a strong, hardworking and determined Champion and you'll bring criminals to justice. However, remember we're not in Sinnoh anymore and sometimes what you plan to do could get you in a whole lot of trouble."
"What makes you say that?" Cynthia was surprised.
"Well, remember the time you, Champion Lance and Champion Steven attacked Princess Pakura because she allegedly held information on Ash's whereabouts? I checked the law, she could sue you for assault, and unfortunately, due to her position, it's more than likely she would win the lawsuit had she pursued it legally." Lucian told her.
"Or the time you went to the Coronation Ceremony by persuading Princess Salvia and the article of you getting drunk at a prestigious event came out?" Aaron reminded her.
"Well, I…" Cynthia was embarrassed. Luckily, as they were whispering, no one could hear them. Well, no one with normal hearing abilities, that is.
"It's because of your usual image as a regional Champion that we were able to smooth things out in Sinnoh for you, otherwise, you would have been seeing the Pokémon League Board about your actions, plus it seems that Ash didn't decide to take action for what you did in his coronation; do you understand what we're saying?"
Cynthia felt sheepish, "Yes…I understand," she balled her fists upset.
"That's all you need to know, please think carefully on your actions. You're a Champion yes, but remember this is PAL, who have more political power than all the regions combined, therefore there are certain things you can and cannot do to people like the PAL Elites. I don't want you to be slapped with a lawsuit or face the Pokémon League Council."
Cynthia knew what she meant. The Pokémon League Council (occasionally known as the Pokémon League Board of Directors) is the one who oversees the running of all the Pokémon Leagues in the world, with each representative leading their respective regional Leagues. They can essentially suspend any Gym Leader, Elite Four or Champion should they be caught doing something undesirable. The Chairman of the Board was the representative of PAL, who was someone named Shuichi Hoshiyama.
"Of course I will, Bertha." Cynthia nodded, inwardly thanking the fact that Champion Red hadn't told them about her allegedly possessing porn. She had no idea that PAL had that much influence, but then again, what did she expect of a region who essentially supports all other regions financially and exports goods to them?
'Or she'll be more determined to get dirt on me to take me down.' Pakura thought, having heard the whole conversation due to her heightened hearing. 'When would she give up?'
Next to her, Ash thought that the match against Alder was too quick and that Alder was probably humiliated. After all, Phillip still had his first Pokémon, a Scizor out, and hadn't bothered to switch out. Everyone cheered as Evan declared Phillip as the winner.
Ash nodded proudly at Phillip as he returned to the VIP Box, while Alder rushed out of the Battle Arena, presumably to the Pokémon Center to heal his Pokémon. He then stood up, knowing his match was next.
"Good luck, Champion Red." Cynthia was cupping her hands to sweetly call out to Ash. Ash turned to see the other PAL Elites, including Diantha and Elesa, facepalm. Lucian had an incredulous expression over the fact that Cynthia wished Ash luck over her own Elite.
Pakura, however, showed no reaction, other than a side glance towards Cynthia. Ash wondered if Pakura was thinking of killing Cynthia but probably couldn't figure out a way to do it right now without raising suspicion. Actually, Ash thought she likely could, but it would still be suspicious if Cynthia suddenly keeled over dead.
Ash, to his own credit, simply walked out of the VIP Box without thanking Cynthia, as he was too disgusted to even let out a sigh right now. Pikachu and Lucario frowned at Cynthia, before following Ash.
Meanwhile in the launch room, Ash just sat down and closed his eyes and started to meditate in order to clear his head and get ready for his battle. Eventually, a female voice said it was time to launch, and Ash stepped on the pedestal, where he would be sent up to the battlefield. Loud cheers filled the stadium as the two participants were pushed out to the battlefield.
Lucian and Ash got locked into a staring contest with each other before Lucian finally broke off and said, "I hope you would give me a good fight, Champion Red. I will have to go all out against you to live up to my reputation."
"I hope you won't fall short like Champion Alder." Ash retorted. "If you think Phillip is bad, what would it make me?"
"Of course." Lucian seemed slightly unnerved. Ash knew he clearly was aware he couldn't win this battle, but would try nonetheless. He will crush that hope that he would be a decent fight. Please, do not go easy on me for my sake."
Ash just chuckled darkly at his statement. He was definitely going to play with his opponent before finishing him. "Of course not. Let's get this over and done with."
The two trainers then looked at the referee signalling their chat was over and that he could start the match.
"Commencing the second match of the Top 16, we have Elite Lucian facing off against Champion Red." Kenneth announced. "Will Champion Red make good on his promise, or will he finally fall to the strongest Elite in Sinnoh? Let's find out, here and now!"
"Both trainers, please release your first Pokémon!" Evan commanded.
"Alright, Bronzong!" Lucian chose his Bronze Bell Pokémon.
"A good choice. But…Marowak, lend me your aura!" However, everyone immediately noticed that something was different about Marowak. The Marowak's body was black and it had pale grey eyes and a dark, flamelike mark on its skull between the eyes. It also looked thinner with white markings resembling shoulder blades, vertebrae, and hip bones being visible on its back. The bone was also longer and it was lit with green flames.
"Regional variant." Ash explained to the gaping Lucian. "A species of Pokémon found in specific regions that takes on a different form than it does in most other regions. That's why this Marowak looks different, because it had adapted differently based on the environment. Hence, it's now a Fire/Ghost type."
"Interesting…I never knew PAL had these types of Pokémon." Lucian commented.
"There's a lot more you need to learn about us." Ash replied.
"Let the battle begin!" Evan announced.
However, around ten minutes later, one of the two competitors said in defeat "I…I…I forfeit…" after seeing his last Pokémon, Espeon, in critical health. As expected, the person who forfeited was Lucian, as he was bested by the younger Champion.
Thanks to Ash knowing about his opponent's type specialty and fighting style, he had decided to use it against Lucian himself without relying on type advantages, which was something no one had predicted.
He had gotten Marowak to throw its bone at Lucian's first Pokémon, Bronzong, which was something no one had seen it coming as Ash had not said anything. This move had caught the Pokémon completely off-guard, which prevented it from avoid the oncoming weapon with Psychic alone. With the combination of Psychic and Protect, Bronzong had somehow been able to block the attack.
However, that had simply been nothing but a distraction from Marowak, as Ash used the brief moment where his opponent wasn't looking at Marowak to shoot a powerful purple black ball at Bronzong, taking it out in one hit.
The same went for the rest of his Pokémon. This led people to realize Ash was only toying with his previous opponents, making them wonder what grudge he had against those opponents for him to draw out their agony.
"Elite Lucian has forfeited! Hence, the winner is Champion Red!" Evan declared with a proud smile on his face, as everyone cheered for Champion Red, in awe of what they had just witnessed. Ash simply returned his Marowak and was about to head back to the VIP Box. After all, time's a-wasting, they still had a lot to do, and the sooner everyone finishes their matches, the sooner they could get to their duties.
Meanwhile, the others in the VIP Box was in disbelief, despite having seen Phillip curb stomp Champion Alder.
"Did...Did that just happen?" Steven asked with wide eyes. "Did Champion Red just actually curb stomp Lucian, the strongest Elite in Sinnoh?" It looked like only the regional Champions would have a chance to put up a fight at this point, as the PAL Elites and the Champion are certainly not going easy on them anymore.
"He did…" Bruno confirmed. "I wonder just how powerful Champion Red is."
"…Or the other members, to an extent." Alder said, looking at Phillip, who had just beaten him.
'Pitiful.' Ash thought, as he made his way back to his seat next to Pakura, who spared him a glance, before nodding to Jude, as if to wish him good luck.
Ash figured Pakura was still thinking of her late fiancé Shiki, as after Scarlet Anger was off her, she realized Shiki was already dead from the beginning and new facts or at least relearnt facts are coming up to her. Such as wondering how he even met his demise when he literally had the talent of fortune that would grant him everything he wanted and would bring luck to those around him.
Ash had told her yesterday night that Shiki may have used all his divine luck just to keep her alive the day he died, and while she accepted it, he knew it still bothered her since Shiki could have used it to save himself but instead chose to use it to ensure she could live. Ash sighed, knowing it would take a while before Pakura could fully love him.
However, when he asked her telepathically, her response wasn't as expected.
'You think once Scarlet Anger is gone, I'll get my original Special Ability back?' Pakura had enquired.
Ash blinked, and tried to remember what her Special Ability was according to Shiki.
Oh. She was worried about causing bad luck to the others. He felt it was ironic considering she was seen as the Cursed Child. Perhaps her Special Ability manifested to match her subconscious belief that she was, all the more strengthened because Shiki was gone.
"I'd like to think that you'll have a different one." Was all he said. "Even if it did return to you, I'm sure all of us are more than capable of handling a bit of bad luck. I know I'd rather deal with a little bad luck every now and then than never get to be part of your life, and I'm willing to bet the other Elites feel the same."
Pakura sighed, trying to digest this. She tried to imagine someone wanting her around enough to put up with her terrible Special Ability and all its nasty side effects aside from Shiki. The idea seemed foreign to her; it didn't compute.
However, she had no time to dwell on it, as she realized it was her turn to battle after Jude's victory against Marshal was announced. From the scoreboard where Jude only had one Pokémon (Grimmsnarl) out Jude must have shown no mercy either, from the looks of it. Then again, Marshal was probably caught by surprise by a new type of Pokémon.
Or maybe a quick defeat is merciful, as opposed to slowing drawing out the battle. Pakura doesn't know what entails as mercy these days. She got up, as Ash squeezed her hand briefly, before leaving the VIP Box to the battlefield for her battle against Wikstrom.
"I need the bathroom for a while." Cynthia noted Pakura eluded less confidence than usual and very slightly troubled, like something was affecting her throughout the matches. That could be the weak spot that she was trying to hide. With that, she stood up, and followed Pakura silently.
Pakura stopped when she was outside the door of the Launch Room, and sighed to Sylveon.
"You know, I once watched a show where I learnt that reading is my drug, the only thing I ever do that I actually can like," said Pakura, her voice had a touch of fear. "Well, besides kissing Shiki, but Champion Red obviously wouldn't like it if he finds out."
Cynthia hid. Her Sylveon said something.
Pakura interrupted by saying, "Does that kiss count as cheating? I mean, I love Champion Red and all, but Shiki was my very first love."
'She's cheating on Champion Red?' Cynthia thought. 'I knew it! She wasn't the perfect princess like everyone thought.'
Sylveon whined something, and Pakura said, "Yeah, you're right, I shouldn't beat myself up over it."
'And she isn't feeling any remorse for cheating?' Cynthia thought, narrowing her eyes. 'If only I could expose this…' She cursed herself for not recording this. It would also explain why they never met this Shiki guy if he was really her true boyfriend. Pakura wanted to hide him from Champion Red.
Pakura was looking more and more like a liar and a slut in her eyes. She definitely had to save Champion Red from a heartbreak. If only she could find a way to confront her about her affairs…
"Well, no time to dwell on it, I guess." Pakura shrugged, all guilt Cynthia may have spotted vanishing from her face. "I still have my matches to win."
With that, they went to the Launch Room, unknown that they just gave Cynthia a gold mine in her hands.
…Or so she thinks.
"Did you know Cynthia was eavesdropping?" Skitty had asked.
"Obviously. Why else would I refer to Ash as Champion Red?" Pakura shrugged. "We still need to execute the plan of the court session for Ash's mother's murder. In order to do so, we need Cynthia out of the way. When I heard Cynthia was on that verge of having one more careless action to be sent to the Pokémon League Council, I know this was my chance. Cynthia would do anything for a chance to ruin my unshakable reputation. That way, she would be out of the way for the entire court session. Without her influence, the real killers are as good as convicted."
As much as Pakura hated to admit it, since Cynthia was one of the more well-known Champion, her words had a great effect on many things. Pakura figured that it was because of Cynthia's influence that the other Champions sided her in her argument.
Hence, if she got Cynthia one more strike and hence make her lose more credibility, her words wouldn't have anywhere near the weight than usual, essentially dooming the traitors as the other Champions would likely no longer listen to her.
"But making use of that is quite emotionally risky. You still haven't really gotten over Shiki's death." Espeon frowned.
"Exactly. Because my people love me after everything I have done for this region, if I was portrayed as the victim, sympathies would pour in for me, and I'd be praised for showing that even I can be human." Pakura replied, as she waited for the time to launch. "All I need to do is wait for her to make a move, and I will play my part."
A voice announced it was time for launch, and Pakura stood up and went to the platform.
After Pakura's curb-stomp victory against Wikstrom, Kenneth said, "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The Top 8 matchups, which would commence tomorrow!"
The energetic event host pointed out to the screens above the stadium as the pictures of Ash, Pakura, Lance, Diantha, Jude, Phillip, Cynthia and Steven flipped downwards and shuffled in a blur, before it stopped and flipped the participants cards to reveal the Top 8 showdowns for tomorrow.
Ash saw he was up against Lance, Pakura was against Cynthia, Jude was against Diantha and Phillip was against Steven.
Pakura wondered if Cynthia would be able to hold herself together long enough for her battle, or she would put confronting Pakura to later.
After the matchups were announced, everyone left the stadium to go about their day.
The Johto Gym Leaders are encouraging poor Falkner, who is sweating with visible nervousness at his upcoming date with Akeno. True, ever since he had agreed to a lunch date with Akeno, he had scouted for potential date places with the help of his fellow Johto Gym Leaders before arranging a potential place where they could have lunch together, where he felt that the classy atmosphere would suit someone like her.
However, he wondered if he should have chosen the romantic tea shop in Amare City, but was reminded quickly that it's not Valentine's Day and that they were on their first date.
"Come on, you can do it, Falkner!" Whitney cheered.
"Do it if you're a man!" Chuck encouraged.
"I'm rooting for you!" Bugsy gushed.
"Falkner, you can do it!" Morty grinned.
Clair was making muffled sounds, wanting to say a word, but was gagged and held by Chuck. This was because Clair had wanted to dissuade Falkner, not believing in dating for love but rather to form connections with powerful people. Obviously no one else wanted to hear it, thinking Clair was only thinking of restoring her clan's glory or something.
"Clair doesn't know the meaning of young love." Pryce commented.
"Chuck, you're holding Clair tight, aren't you?" Jasmine asked.
"Of course, I'm making sure she isn't in the way." Chuck saluted.
"Alright, wish me luck." Falkner said, before going to face a date spent entirely in Akeno's company. He made sure his clothes weren't wrinkled and his hair was decent looking before going to meet Akeno.
She was waiting for him a little to the side of the Battle Tower's front entrance, looking very pretty with her hair tied back in a long pony-tail and a pink long-sleeved dress with the skirt looking like they layered on top of each other along with pink high-heeled shoes.
Harry's feet seemed to be too big for his body as he walked towards her and he was suddenly horribly aware of his arms and how stupid they must look swinging at his sides.
"Hi." Akeno said sweetly when she saw him approch.
"Hi," said Harry. "I…like how you look."
"Thank you." Akeno smiled. "It's taken from the person I dethroned."
"Er…" Falkner didn't know what to say. They stared at each other for a moment, then Falkner said, ''Well—er—shall we go, then?"
"Alright. Lead the way." While they walked, they caught each other's eye and grinned shiftily, but not talking to each other. Much to Falkner's delight, it was a fresh, breezy sort of day, which meant that it would help with the scenery that they could enjoy with the classy bar that he had chosen.
"How are you holding up?" Akeno asked.
Falkner looked round and saw her watching him.
"About what?" Falkner asked.
"Losing to Rosaline. I mean, after the scandal and all."
"'Fine," Falkner replied, grinning. "I mean, we still have people representing Johto in tournament. Well, one more at least."
"Not for long, I guess." Akeno gave a small smile, referring to the Top 8 matchup of Ash vs. Lance.
"Any chance Champion Red would be a gentleman and let Lance win?" Falkner joked, grinning.
"Not a chance, but I might tlak to him and ask him to consider." She answered lightly. "Is Lance a Flying-type Specialist like you or something?"
"Nah, it was Dragon, but quite a few mix up the type-specialties because his Pokémon roster are mainly Flying-type Pokémon."
"I know he was from the Dragon Clan and all, but really, we have quite a lot of Dragon Pokémon, why would he need three Dragonites?" The subject of the Pokémon World Championships carried them all the way down the streets. Falkner could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to her—no more difficult, in fact, than talking to the other Johto Gym Leaders.
"Where are we going?" Akeno finally asked.
"Oh, there's a really nice place just up here; have you ever been to the Colebrooke Style?" He asked, leading her to the entrance of a classy-looking bar.
"I heard it's named after the Third Princess, who was the best in hospitality skills. She used to work in a bar." Akeno replied thoughtfully. Inside was an atmosphere you might see in a five-star restaurant, except with the availability of drinks at a bar. It was decorated with plumerias, which was rumoured to be the Third Princess' favourite flower.
"So…this is the place." Falkner said, placing a hand behind his head.
"It looks different from the atmosphere I'm used to eating at." Akeno commented.
"Do you…like it?" Falkner enquired, afraid of the answer.
"Hmm…I was expecting you to choose a cuter place, but this is a pleasant surprise." Akeno answered truthfully, as a waiter came over to confirm the reservation and escorted them to a table by the window, where they could have a nice view of the scenery outside.
"What can I get for you?" A waitress asked, coming up to them.
"We can start off with…sparkling water." Falkner said.
"Interesting choice." Akeno said thoughtfully.
"I'll whip up a little something, then." The waitress replied. "You two just go back to enjoying your first date."
"How did she know that?" Falkner asked, as the waitress walked away. "I mean, I'm not sure if it's your first date ever, but it's mine."
"No, this is my first date too." Akeno confessed.
"But you must get asked out all the time." Falkner looked surprised.
"But I turned down all of them, because the spirits told me that they are asking me out for nefarious purposes. Except yours." Akeno answered. Before Falkner could comment on that spirits thing, Akeno said, "I wonder what gave us away though."
"Were we talking about something that tipped her off it was our first date?" Falkner wondered.
"What were we even talking about?" Akeno asked.
"Is there something you rather talk about?" Falkner questioned.
"I'd talk about anything." Akeno smiled sweetly.
Falkner was very conscious at the fact that he couldn't find a topic to talk about and cast wildly around for something else to say.
"Er...so where are you born? Were you born in PAL?"
"Oh, I was born in Ten'i Village in Sinnoh. After I made my career here, I moved my entire clan to Ariolo Village. My clan is made up of spirit mediums that can mainly make use of spiritual powers to channel the dead."
"Is that why you're a Ghost Specialist?" Falkner asked, before inwardly slapping himself for the stupid question.
"Yeah. Well, the Ghost Pokémon helped me to become more spiritually powerful, and I'm grateful to them." Akeno answered.
"Oh...well...that was really nice of them." Falkner stammered, not knowing what to say.
"Most people perceive them as scary, but they are actually quite friendly if you get to know them." Akeno went on.
Falkner nodded. A few more minutes passed in total silence, Falkner trying to think of what else to say to her.
"I did order sparkling water, right?" He finally said.
"You did. For the both of us." Akeno confirmed.
"Oh, should I not have ordered for you, Akeno?" Falkner stiffened. "I wasn't even thinking."
"Not at all. I can't wait to see what the waitress would bring us." Akeno smiled warmly.
"You're only saying that to be kind to me." Falkner frowned.
"I'm saying it because I like you, Falkner." Akeno replied. "I like you very much."
Falkner was about to open his mouth to answer, but saw Pakura and Ash enter the restaurant and another waiter sitting them down at a nearby table.
"Princess Pakura and Prince Red!" Falkner exclaimed, causing everyone to stare, including the aforementioned couple.
"What?" Akeno looked puzzled at his sudden outburst.
"Princess Pakura and Prince Red…they're here." Falkner explained, embarrassed.
"That's…nice? Maybe they are on a date, like us." Akeno said slowly. "I mean, they are established to be dating, right?"
"Well, shall we try and pretend they are not here?" Falkner suggested.
"That would be tricky with both of them sitting a few feet away. But whatever you say…" Akeno shrugged, just as their sparkling water came, which was dyed in a sea blue colour.
"Mmm…not bad." Akeno said, sipping her drink. "You got good taste."
"Thanks…" Falkner blushed. "Well, truth be told, I found this place with the help of my fellow Gym Leaders. Whitney was especially enthused at helping."
In the second or so it took for him to take in what he had just said, Falker's insides had become hot with embarrassment. He could not believe the word spilling out of his mouth, while Pakura was shooting him a calculating look, obviously having heard what he said, likely due to her years of training in musical instruments if what he heard of her was true.
Akeno's voice was lite with amusement when she spoke again. "If I am nor wrong, Whitney is the pink-haired girl with the Miltank, right?"
He wondered if he should count himself unlucky or stupid that Akeno was able to take his lack of conversational skills in stride.
"Well, yes." Falkner said sheepishly. "Although she only began battling a little while ago, compared to the rest of us, her talent was what made Pokémon League choose her as a Gym Leader. I was kind of envious of her."
To his embarrassment, he saw that her eyes were filled with sympathy, and she was giving him a wry smile. "Yeah, I know, but while there is nothing wrong being jealous towards people of natural talent, it is what you do with the jealousy that counts, don't you think?"
"Really? What happened?" Falkner asked, before inwardly cursing as he realized it was too personal a question to be asked on the first date, let alone a practical blind date. "Look, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, we could always talk about something else…we're ready to order!" He squeaked when the waitress passed them.
To his surprise, Akeno merely giggled at him, as they read the menu in order to select their orders.
In the meantime, Ash was watching Falkner trying to interact with Akeno without humiliating himself with a mildly interested expression. "Didn't know Falkner had a thing for Akeno." He remarked distantly.
Pakura frowned and said, "I brought you here for some peace and quiet so we could talk. I did not expect Leader Falkner to bring her here too. Why would he choose a place like this?"
"Maybe because it's different from her usual style." Ash shrugged. "I thought you'd understand."
"Speaking of understanding, we need to talk about something. I just got word that Phillip has already made the arrangements for your Defense Attorney and as of this morning, he had made the call to the lawyer regarding your case and he had agreed. He's on the plane right now as we speak." Pakura answered. "We'll do it tomorrow after the Top 8. End this misunderstanding once and for all."
"Really?" Ash was pleasantly surprised. Everything was going right for him for a change. Sometimes he thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.
After all, when he thought about his life, he grew up to be good-looking, he lived in the coolest region on the planet and even ruled it as a Prince, he's a Crown Prince in another kingdom, he had amazing friends who he considered family, and a wonderful, beautiful, and talented wife. What more could he ask for?
"Who did you call?" Ash had enquired.
"I specifically asked Phillip to call Phoenix Wright to defend you, because it wouldn't be fair if it was a Defense Attorney from our region. I don't want to risk another region's Defense Attorney in the case that they perceive you as guilty. Phoenix Wright would definitely acquit you, if what I see from his court records are true." Pakura answered.
"I'll take your word for it." Ash nodded.
"We should also do something about Caldia City's magic after lunch. The sooner we do all these, the better." Pakura said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well—I know we should get it over and done with," Ash said in a whisper, "but I thought your well-being should come first."
"Oh, I'm alright, really." Pakura blinked, her face having a very slight surprise on it, but otherwise her stoic façade was not broken. "But you told me about your dream with Princess Goldstein, right? It'll be best to see what Caldia City would have in store for us once we restore their magic. Maybe it'll even be a new Pokémon mechanic."
Ash stared at her thoughtfully, and said, "It is true, but we don't actually need them to defeat our opponents now, do we?"
"No, but what kind of legacy am I going to bring to the Dragon Duo? I want to make it seem like the Dragon Duo is untouchable." Pakura had a slight smirk.
Ash laughed, as he knew in Pakura's eyes, she wished that everyone would continue to see the Dragon Duo was the best of the best even as they fade to legend and myth in time.
"I just want them to have a way to control my Accidental Magic." Pakura admitted finally.
Ash nodded. It was understandable, as Pakura never had any control of that magic. It not only manifested when she was feeling strong emotions, it ended up causing problems such as transporting her to another dimension and time with no way back due to it being powerful.
When Ash told her what Goldstein told him, she was hopeful at finding a way to control that magic of hers, since it apparently never went away. Or at least, hold out some semblance of hope, because Pakura wasn't exactly the idealistic type.
He was interrupted, however, by Whitney and Chuck coming in and Ash thought it was super weird to see them outside of the tournament and even weirder to see them dressed in formal clothes because it made them basically unrecognizable. Especially since Chuck never wore a shirt even in the VIP Box.
"What are they up to now?" Pakura stared from Whitney to Chuck.
"I think they someone else is trying to check on Falkner. Nice friends they are." Ash remarked, taking a large slurp of his drink.
"I suppose worse people could come in." Pakura said absent-mindedly.
"Yes, I suppose." said Ash, knowing who she was talking about and took another great gulp of his drink and said out of the corner of his mouth, "You think Akeno would take it well?"
"Well, as long as they do not cause anything to ruin their date, they'll be fine." Pakura shrugged. "I can't help but feel something would go wrong."
"They'll be fine, I am sure." Ash waved her off. "How bad could Whitney and Chuck be?"
"If you say so. By the way, what would be your plan after you're declared innocent? Would you be suing those papers who wrote horrible stories about you all those years, while praising the traitors?"
"Oh, those." Ash nodded. "I think I'll leave them up to you, you know how to deal with the press best."
Pakura lowered her glass and subjected Ash to a piercing stare. "You know I always take the ruthless way, right?"
"Exactly." Ash grinned, and said, "Wait, how would you deal with it?"
Pakura had a faraway look in her eyes. "A great bold headline, 'Truth Revealed' a sub-heading, 'Ash Ketchum's Killers: It Was Them!" and then, beneath a nice big photograph of the traitors smiling happily, 'Disturbed group of teenagers behind Delia Ketchum's murder, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent PAL Champion for a murder they committed themselves…'"
"And then you wait for chaos to happen." Ash grinned. "I thought you'd immediately sue them."
"I need that ammo for people to back me up. Once I do, my job of charging them for false stories would be much easier." Pakura nodded.
"Did I tell you how smart you are?" Ash joked.
"As a matter of fact," said Pakura thoughtfully as she stirred her drink, "You did it plenty of times."
Just then, there is a crash, and the whole display of wine glasses had toppled over, breaking most of them into pieces. Whitney was standing next to it, looking very sheepish.
"Oh dear, oh dear!" A woman, who was the manager walked out and saw the mess.
"Oops?" Whitney looked guilty.
"Careful, everyone, watch where you step on the way out!" The manager said.
"On our way out?" Falkner was surprised.
"I've got to close the restaurant up to clean this up. Someone could get hurt. Now hurry along now, watch where you step." The manager replied.
"I told you something would happen." Pakura whispered, as she got up and made her way out with Ash.
"I guess that's the end of our date." Akeno sighed, as they walked past her.
"Should we just get to Caldia City?" Ash suggested, and Pakura nodded.
As they left, they heard Whitney apologize profusely.
Jude walked down the hallway in the hospital, knowing they would have to revive the male traitors somehow. As much as he would love to keep them asleep, they wanted the traitors to feel the full blow of Ash's innocence, and Phillip said that they have already called the lawyer.
He nodded to the nurses who walked past him, and walked to an observation area overlooking the traitors' room with a one-way window. There was a small kitchen inside.
"How come they got this type of luxury?" He asked the observing doctor, who was in the observation room with him.
"Cynthia talked us into giving it to them and paid for us to put them under observation to find out what exactly happened to them." The doctor replied. "She also told us to make sure no one gets in to finish the job or something."
"How…nice of her." Jude managed to choke out. In reality, Jude thought Cynthia probably wanted to find a cure for it herself, as if she did indeed find out what happened and fund a solution, she would be revered for a long, long time for making a change to the medical field. Jude watched as Cynthia entered, looking solemn as she realized their condition was no better.
Cynthia prepared a cup of tea in the kitchen and sat down on a chair next to Trip's bed, drinking the tea.
"I haven't found out what happened to you yet." Cynthia said quietly to the boys. "But don't worry, I am doing my best."
Jude looked bored, until Cynthia went on, "I have heard of Princess Pakura cheating on Champion Red with someone named Shiki. I am going to confront her after the Pokémon Contest tonight. She wouldn't be able to back down then."
'What?' Jude thought.
"She is not infallible." Cynthia clutched to her cup of tea. "I need her out of the way when Ash's trial commences. I have found some leads to his whereabouts. He's definitely here."
Jude frowned, and darkened the entire room. With his night vision, he saw Cynthia and the doctors looking around in confusion. Cynthia stood up, as if to look for the source of the lights turning off, while Jude sneakily went to the traitors' wards with syringe in hand, ready to wake them up.
He quickly jabbed them in the arm, and Cynthia asked, "Who's there?" when she heard his footsteps. However, due to Jude binding her legs with his shadow, she was unable to move to summon a Pokémon out.
Jude then resumed his position in the observation room and deactivated his ability and the power seemingly came back on, momentarily blinding the others. Once their eyes adjust, the doctors blink at the male traitors waking up.
Jude watched as the doctors left the observation room, and he gave a secret smile as he left as well, but back to the Battle Tower to tell them about what he had heard.
Cynthia was extremely relieved, and asked, "You're awake. Finally. Would you guys like some tea?"
"Sure thing, Cynthia." Max was shaking his head, somewhat disoriented.
Cynthia laughed, as she went back to the kitchen to prepare the tray, and carried it over to them, handing one cup each.
"How is the tournament so far?" Cilan asked.
"Don't you worry. I made it to the Top 8. I'm up against Pakura." Cynthia replied.
"Would the girls be ok? My sister?" Max enquired.
"Of course, Max." Cynthia nodded, as they drank tea together.
Jude watched as the doctors left the observation room to check on the boys, and he gave a secret smile as he left as well, but back to the Battle Tower to tell Phillip about what he had heard.
Jude pressed the button to the elevator next to the door, and the elevator sent him to his floor, where Phillip was on his laptop.
"Huh. You're late." Phillip commented without looking up. "What took you so long?"
"Oh, I don't know." Jude replied, bringing his index finger to his chin in a feigned thinking gesture. "Besides Cynthia having them in a more guarded place and having to wait for the perfect timing actually use my aura abilities to do what I had to do?"
"That's new." Phillip answered. "But you managed, right?"
"Yes, but not before some interesting things had been said." Jude said. "Like Cynthia saying Pakura is cheating on Champion Red with Shiki."
"If that is the case, it's likely Cynthia doesn't know Shiki is already dead." Phillip munched on a chocolate bar. "I think Pakura would capitalize on this."
"But now the traitors are awake, won't she enlist their help?" Jude wondered.
"No, because…" However, they were interrupted by the elevator again, and Akeno shuffled in.
"Akeno, what is it? You're looking a bit gloomy." Jude looked at her with concern. "Weren't you off on your first date?"
"I know, but somehow it all went wrong." Akeno pouted. "I don't know what to do about it."
"Well, we don't exactly know what to do either, considering it has been a while since we last dated." Phillip said thoughtfully.
"You mean the upcoming concert and dinner with Diantha isn't a date?" Jude looked at Phillip incredulously.
"Not a date I planned." Phillip shot back.
"Want to talk about it?" Jude turned back to Akeno.
"Sure, why not?" Akeno sighed. "Talking to you guys may help. You guys do give good advices."
"Well, where exactly did it go wrong?" Jude questioned.
"There was the part I was trying to keep up a conversation with him…" Akeno answered. "And the part where Ash and Pakura went in to the same place we were going for our date…"
"Wait, they were there?" Phillip and Jude said in unison.
Akeno nodded. "Yep, made it quite awkward for Falkner and all, since he felt they were setting some standard or something. He started to falter the moment they came in. Although I don't think they were even on a date, since they didn't wear any fancy outfits or anything."
"Did you tell Falkner that their perfect couple image isn't what it seems?" Jude shuddered, remembering what Ash put him through just to keep him quiet.
"No, I didn't want him to figure out Red was Ash and all until the trial." Akeno admitted.
"Smart move." Phillip nodded.
"So even though they ignored us for the most part, he became quite nervous." Akeno frowned. "And then Whitney and Chuck came in."
"Two of Falkner's fellow Gym Leaders? What are they doing in there?" Phillip was astonished.
"Apparently to check on Falkner and how he was doing on his date. It somehow ended up with Whitney breaking so many wine glasses that the manager kicked every patron out and closed the restaurant to clean up…" Akeno recounted.
"Oh dear…" Jude gasped.
"That was what the manager said too." Akeno noted. "Only it was more like…" She imitated her look of shock and said, "Oh dear, oh dear!" in a voice that screamed, 'Oh crap!'
"I'm sorry, Akeno." Phillip winced.
"I know. Speaking of awkward, the Gym Leaders had to pay for the damages of the wine glasses and we made our way back here in total silence." Akeno added. "We ended off playing card games since Whitney had a pack with her, but it must have been those cards sold in Caldia City or something because they had the ability to spontaneously explode. Whitney ended up with singed eyebrows and they went to the hospital to see if they could be regrown."
At the last statement, Jude and Phillip visibly suppressed a chuckle.
"I guess it wasn't total silence. Whitney said, 'Ow!' when she was singed." Akeno corrected herself. "It's not as if things were going perfectly before they showed up either. I was trying to ease his feelings, let him feel relaxed around me. What did I do wrong? I really like Falkner. This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out."
Phillip wondered for a second if it was Pakura's Special Ability that caused it, considering they were aware of what it was before it got corrupted and it was possible that she'd get it back once Scarlet Anger was gone. After all, Pakura was sitting nearby when it happened.
But then, he shook his head. Pakura had no reason to ruin Akeno after all, and kicked himself for thinking that.
"Perhaps Falkner was feeling the same way." Jude said.
"What do you mean?" Akeno titled her head.
"It wasn't just your first date, was it?" Jude asked.
"No, it was the first for us both. We talked about it at the bar." Akeno replied thoughtfully.
"Your date might be fretting over what you were thinking, the same way you did, if not more so." Jude told her.
"After all, he was the one who planned the outing for both of you." Phillip agreed.
"Or he could be telling the other Johto Gym Leaders that I was a rotten date." Akeno's shoulders sagged.
"There's only one way to find out." Phillip snapped his fingers. "Go find Falkner now."
"Now?" Akeno looked surprised.
"Of course. If you don't like how you left things at the date, change how you're leaving things tonight." Jude grinned.
"Well, when I think about facing Falkner, I just don't know what to expect…even the spirits can't tell me." Akeno had a hand behind her head.
"You could never go wrong being yourself, Akeno." Phillip replied. "It's being yourself would you know if he likes you for you."
"If you say so…" Akeno nodded. "Let's see where it takes me."
"By the way, Phillip, what were you about to say before Akeno came in?" Jude asked.
Phillip smiled and said, "You'll find out. Akeno, one question: Did you see where Ash and Pakura went after the manager ordered everyone out?"
"Not really…they left before we did." Akeno answered. "I hope it's nothing dangerous…"
Arriving at Cladia City and telling the secret word Unfall as instructed by Princess Goldstein, they were led to a Chamber, carrying the Maga Chest. The Chamber was in the form of a temple, and was tucked away in Sorcellerie Forest.
Legends say a child would be born possessing the mysterious powers of the forest, said to come from the Chamber itself, but unsure if it was actually true. If it was, no one really knew what those powers entail.
This forest was the location of that deserted chamber which also said to contain riches beyond belief; however it was said to contain some of the most intricately-laid traps ever created. When they reached the area, covered with moss by age, they saw only a stone door that was smooth and unblemished, the ivory-colored material not showing the same effects of age as the rest of the area around it.
The door apparently didn't lead anywhere, as Lucario walked around it to demonstrate.
Ash stopped in front of the door and examined its surface. It was completely smooth- no handles, knobs, or anything like that- with the exception of a small podium in front of it, with the sign saying, "What would you give up for the sake of your region?"
"I think that we are required to make payment to pass." Ash commented.
"Something precious most likely, the idea is for people to understand what the rulers give up for the sake of the region. A lot of people have the concept that life is precious and assume they have to give up their lives to enter, but what they fail to grasp is that while life is precious, what matters is the memories they make during their lifetime. I think I got this." Pakura replied.
Ash watched as Pakura took out her dead Pactum Card with Shiki and placed it on the pedestal. Immediately, the dead Pactum Card began to glow with similar energy Ash felt when Pakura used her Accidental Magic. With an ancient grinding noise, the stone door slid down, leaving behind only the thin frame of the door. Instead of the forest through the doorframe, Ash saw a dimly lit corridor that looked to be lit by an energy similar to the Aura that everyone used.
"It's definitely a portal." Ash narrowed his eyes at the corridor beyond the doorframe. "Is that the inside of the chamber?"
"Don't know until we go in." Pakura answered, stepping over the threshold.
Ash got the feeling like he had used teleportation. It only lasted a second, and then he was blinking to adjust to the dimmer lighting of the inner shrine. When both were on the other side, the doorway blinked out of existence. There was seemingly no exit in its place, only a solid wall. The wall purged out the dead Pactum Card, and Pakura picked it up.
'It's the Caldia Chamber." Pakura looked around.
"How long ago did the rulers put it here?" Ash wondered.
"Probably for at least a millennium." Pakura answered. "This is definitely too old to be built by the First Princess. It was like the first two rulers knew a Secret War would happen, and Princess Goldstein simply finished the job."
"They were preparing for this day," Ash added, certainty in his voice.
"I wonder what Princess Goldstein left in here to restore Caldia City's powers." Pakura said, looking around. "Looks like just an empty room to me…"
The Chamber is one long, rectangular room with high ceilings and absolutely no doors or windows. All they could see was veins of glowing magic or Aura that looked to be carved into the stone walls and ceiling in chaotic patterns, casting the entire room in flashing glows of blue. Pakura's eyes went over the patterns, seeing something vaguely familiar.
"It's our story, all the rulers" Ash said. 'It's … more than we even know about. The history books don't cover this much.'
It took Pakura a moment to realize what he's saying, as she saw the Aura/Magic veins pooling into animated pictures with the swirling stars of the cosmos and beyond as a background, telling a life story.
Pakura recognized most of them of them like Ash's framing, Shiki's growth as a trainer, her own descent into darkness, but not others such as a boy being forced to wear a mask by an abusive parent, a devil and an angel having two children and a boy stealing what looked like power rings and escaping into another dimension after the death of his family.
Ash touched the ones representing his own story with his finger, and a chill went through me as the Aura/Magic seemed to pulse in answer, like they recognized him. It then started to crackle and vibrate, as something below them was moving.
Dust and dirt shook loose from the ceiling as the motes sparkled in the suddenly hypercharged light of the Aura/Magic. With an ancient groan and a grinding of stone, a circular section of the floor at the room's center rose up, similar to the altar or pedestal they had seen outside. It had rose to waist high, and this new extension looked like it was made out of pure Aura or magic. A stone slab sat on top of the cylinder, almost like a seal holding in whatever might be down below. Cautiously, the two of them approached.
"It looks like this piece comes off," Pakura said, touching the limestone slab, but not yet removing it.
"It almost looks like a well to me," Ash mused. "What do you think is down there?"
Pakura took the limestone slab, and said, "Look, below there are readings!" As she removed the slab, A column of pure blue light flowed up from the well, and both of them felt the warmth from the light deep in their bones.
Ash took a look, and said, "It says each of the rulers' representation."
Both of them took a look at the slab, which said,
Pierce Alexander Lane, First Prince of PAL, representing Life.
Pierre Alexandre Lane, Second Prince of PAL, representing Death.
Pakura Goldstein, First Princess of PAL (Dark Princess), representing Creation.
Michi Carmentina, Second Princess of PAL (Medical Princess), representing Well-being.
Kilian Rezonite, Third Prince of PAL, representing Perspective.
Zelda Colebrooke, Third Princess of PAL, representing Connections.
Phönix Hahn Blackburn, Fourth Princess of PAL (Phoenix Princess), representing Perseverance.
Gertrude Blade, Fifth Princess of PAL (Military Princess), representing Destruction.
Hisoki Yumeno, Fourth Prince of PAL (Magician Prince), representing Unity.
Pemota Daneiris, Fifth Prince of PAL, representing Choice.
Shiki Kurobane, Sixth Prince of PAL (Dragon Prince), representing Development.
"Each artifact that Goldstein had in that Maga Chest that isn't an ÄRM likely is connected to each of the previous rulers in some way and have a legend to it. Each quote on their Hall of Fame is tied to what they represent."
"This is the place where we commit the Ruler's Relics?" Ash asked.
Pakura nodded, and knelt down in front of the Maga Chest to open it up. She took out an ornate amulet, where it was split into two halves. A large red gem is set into one half of the amulet and the other half was a blue gem. The names engraved on the back of each half was Pierre and Pierce's names respectively.
"Life is precious and must be lived to the fullest." Ash said Pierce's quote, dropping Pierce's amulet into the Chamber's well. The amulet glittered as it slipped through her fingers, falling into the light. In response, the whole room got a little brighter.
"Do not fear death, for there are far worse things in the living world than dying." Pakura said, dropping Pierre's locket.
"If you don't like the path forged out for you, create a new one." Ash recited Goldstein's quote, taking out her diadem and dropping it into the well.
"Do not sacrifice your health for a trophy. You would have many opportunities to win a trophy, but you only have one health." Pakura repeated Michi's quote, dropping Michi's medicine pouch in it.
"Just because I lost my sight, does not mean I am any less capable." Ash said, dropping Kilian's sunglasses in.
"You would be surprised to see how far a relationship can take you, even if it was only for the job. After all, how could people trust you if they can't connect with you?" Pakura repeated Zelda's quote, and dropped her pocket watch that had the twelve Zodiac signs on it and had a cosmic theme to it.
"I would not give up as long as I still have the chance to change a single life." Ash recounted Phönix's quote, dropping the Princess Orb into the well.
"Don't see destruction as something bad. Only after disaster can you start afresh." Pakura said solemnly, dropping Gertude's military dagger into it, with the engraving indicating it was her gift for getting in to the military.
"With unity, we could face any disaster head-on and still be alright." Ash said, dropping Hisoki's Heart brooch into the well.
"It doesn't matter what happens to us in life. What matters is the choice we choose to make next." Pakura quoted, dropping a mood ring that belonged to Pemota, judging by the engraving at the band which said, "No matter the color, remember I would always love you."
"Protecting the region is important, but what is more important is to raise a new generation properly so that we could be assured that the region is safe even in death." Ash said Shiki's quote.
He frowned when he could not find anything representing Shiki, but Pakura dropped the Dragon Blade into it, essentially giving up a precious weapon.
"It should work, he's the one who wields it best." Pakura explained.
"We're at our last stretch." Ash said excitedly, taking out the items representing the nature of Cladia City, such as the pouch of soil, a bundle of dried branches and leaves, a vial of clear liquid, a vial of contained fire, and sprinkles of Dust of every Pokémon type.
In that moment before they leave his hand, while they're bathed in the light, there was a fragrant, flower-like aroma filling the dusty chamber.
Ash could also swear the branches he had dropped had its vitality restored, as it looked green and fresh again. As they dropped out of sight, a swirling breeze filled the chamber, cooling them down. The sprinkles of Dust changed the colour of the lights, from pink, to yellow, to red, to orange, to green, to purple, to brown, etc…
"It's working." Ash said, even though they are not sure what they are doing, but what he knew was they were acting on instinct and it felt right.
When they've emptied out the Maga Chest of everything else that is not an ÄRM, he turned back to Pakura. "There's nothing else to do, is there?" He asked her.
"One more, Ash." Pakura replied. "The precious thing we had given outside the doorway."
"Hold on," Lucario finally spoke up. "If you drop that down there, we'll have no way out of here."
Pakura was still holding to her dead Pactum Card. It must have occurred to her as well, as she clutched them tightly as she thought it over.
"We have to have faith, right?" Ash replied. "We have to trust that whatever's down there, whatever the previous rulers left for us, that it'll show us a way out. You believe in Shiki, right?"
Pakura nodded. "Yes, I believe in him." She held her dead Pactum Card for a moment longer. It had been what she had carried in her pocket ever since Shiki and her made it together. Even in his death, it reminded her of who she was, what she was fighting for and what she believed in. Until Scarlet Anger came into play.
It was heartbreaking to lose her dead Pactum Card and she never felt right without carrying it around. It's as much a part of who she was before Shiki's death. But it was time to let that go.
Pakura took a deep breath, and dropped the dead Pactum Card into the well.
The response was immediate and blinding. The light from within the well went to supernova levels, and they seemed to be absorbed into something.
Ash opened his eyes when the light died down, and found themselves in some sort of underground library.
Something wasn't right, although he found that he could move around and interact with the room, even though he didn't know what he was supposed to do next. Furthermore, their Pokémon weren't with them.
"This looks like the Forbidden Library area only rulers can access." Ash turned around to find Pakura looking around.
"What are we even doing here? I thought we did what we were supposed to do." Ash wondered. "Did we do it for nothing?"
"What's done is done, Ash." Pakura told Ash, frowning. "We'll just have to see where our action takes us. After all, it seems like there is no exit."
"Wait, what?" Ash looked around too, but not at the books like Pakura was. He was looking for the exit, and true to Pakura's word, the room they're in didn't appear to have any doors. They were basically stuck there. Whatever source of energy at the well, whoever had designated this, they were probably not done with them yet.
"Maybe this is a waiting room, and it takes the form of the one place only rulers can access." Pakura speculated.
"Cool," Ash replied, and flopped down into one of the lounge chairs. "I wonder if we would make it back in time for the Top 8 matches?"
"Is that all you can think about?" Pakura rolled her eyes.
"Sorry for the wait." A voice said. Ash turned to look at the room's far wall, where a doorway just manifested. Standing there was a young woman with brown eyes and brown hair tied in a low ponytail with a petite build, looking exactly the way Ash remembered.
"Mum?" Ash exclaimed.
At the exact same time, Pakura said, "Shiki? Is that you?"
Ash and Pakura looked at each other, bewildered. It only took them a second to realize both of them are seeing different people. Whatever thing that got them here, they must have chosen someone from their subconscious desire to see once more.
Ash can't help but smile looking at his mother, even though the moment was definitely bittersweet. "Are you…are you real?" Ash asked, feeling stupid asking the question but needing to confirm it.
"I'm as real as a memory, Ash," Delia replied. When she spoke, Ash noticed a glow inside her mouth of the same energy they saw in the well.
"I'm sorry I got you killed, Shiki. It was my fault." Pakura said, looking down. She paused for a response and said, "No, I didn't actually take the weapon to stab you, that was my family member. But…"
She paused again to listen intently to whom she called Shiki, and Ash turned back to his mother. It was clear they can't see or hear each other's visitors, only their own.
"What're we doing here?" Ash asked his mother, getting straight to the point.
"You're here to meet the others," Delia replied, then turned around and walked through the open doorway that wasn't even there a second ago. She motioned for them to follow.
"What others?" Ash asked.
"All of them, the others who got PAL to where they are today." Delia said, and smiled at him. "Remember, Ash. The truth may be painful, but it's better to know it than to be blissfully ignorant."
Ash didn't know what she's talking about, but followed her. After all, she was his mother, and the only person who genuinely believed in his dreams.
Even manifested in this an unknown place, she felt like the real deal and he trusted her trust him. Pakura headed to the door too, following a version of Shiki he could not see, chatting about the plans she had to keep the Dragon Duo a legend in the Pokémon World.
When Ash got close to her, Delia put a hand on his shoulder and lowered her voice even though Pakura herself can't hear her, like he was letting him in on a secret.
"Each Ruler's Relic has a legend behind it, Ash. When you learn the significance each artifact, you would understand."
Ash stared at Delia, not sure what she was talking about. In response to his expression, Delia flashed that knowing smile again. Ash knew she wanted him to work out the details himself.
"I don't get what you're trying to tell me." Ash told her.
Delia patted his shoulder, before walking down the hallway. "You will, because you're my little boy. My little boy always gets it in the end."
Eventually, the hallway opened up onto a domed room that looked like it formed the shape of a star. Ash had recognized this room to be where they placed the statues, portraits and plaques remembering each ruler, but instead of all those, there was a large circular table that looked like it grew right out of the floor. The room was similar to the meeting rooms in the Hunter's Association, except there was something supernatural and sacred about it.
There was a glowing map that was drawn across the ceiling and Ash saw the pictures of the Relics that they had dropped in, with the numbers next to them depicting the overall position of the ruler it corresponded to. There was also pictures of two people with what looked like the Chosen One, the Phoenix, the Season Maiden and the Dragon Champion, with the former two looking like they are standing above the other two.
On the table, there are glowing dots on what looked like the Pokémon World map. The gallery is already filled in, with each ruler occupying each of seats around the table but two. It looked like the Princes were seated at one side, while the Princesses are seated at the other.
The ones at the head of the tables were the First Princess and First Prince, Pakura Goldstein and Pierce Alexander Lane. Pierce was a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, similar to a French boy. His light-coloured dressing was similar to the Renaissance period, despite the fact that he was born way earlier than that.
Next to Pierce was Pierre Alexandre Lane, who looked a lot like Pierce, except for dark black hair with the parting to the left and red eyes. His dressing was similar to Pierce's except for the color scheme being dark as night.
Third Prince Kilian Rezonite was a young man with dark brown hair and he was wearing a suit similar to Men in Black. He was also wearing a visor that hid his eyes. He also had gloves on.
Fourth Prince Hisoki Yumeno was a boy with an eye mask, dressed in a magician costume with a cape around his shoulders. His cape was attached at the front with a heart-shaped brooch, the same brooch they had dropped in the well.
Fifth Prince Pemota Daneiris was an orange-haired man with yellow eyes, and dressed in a sky blue and white suit. On his left finger was a ring that was shifting between colours.
One of the seats was occupied by Shiki, who looked majorly uncomfortable sitting in one of the high-backed chairs.
"I don't think I'm supposed to be here, Prince Hisoki." He was addressing the Magician Prince.
"Please, drop the formalities." Hisoki waved it off. "Even if you've held your title for only three years, you're still a ruler."
Meanwhile, next to Princess Goldstein was Michi Carmentina, who had bubble-gum pink hair and teal eyes. She was dressed like some medieval nurse, except the uniform was much sexier.
Next to Michi was Zelda Colebrooke, who was dressed in a stylish bartender uniform with long sleeved-white shirt and a black vest, with the collar having a ribbon tied to it. She was also wearing pants and dress shoes.
Phönix Hahn Blackburn was a petite girl wearing a red and gold Victorian-era dress, with her blood red hair covering her left eye. The eye that was exposed was golden in colour.
Gertude Blade was a woman with dishwater blonde hair that was kept to shoulder-length. Her build was something else, as she had significant muscles compared to the rest of the rulers and was clearly the tallest in the room and Ash was almost certain she was a giant. She wore a dark brown military uniform and the captain's cap, and medals littering all over the front of her uniform that implied she had led the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
Ash did not see how she was able to achieve it, but decided that was probably why she was a ruler.
Delia stepped aside to let them enter, and when Ash turned around to say something to her, she had disappeared.
"What are we here for?" Ash asked.
"You're here. Please, sit down." Goldstein indicated the two empty seats.
Pakura caught Ash's eyes, shrugged at him and sat down next to the Military Princess, Gertude Blade. Ash meanwhile, sat down next to Shiki, his predecessor.
When everyone got settled, Goldstein said, "Good. Now we can begin. First business, Caldia City has been restored, thanks to our two brave rulers out here."
The other rulers clapped politely, much to Ash's embarrassment.
"Now, let's get straight to the point." Pierce silenced the clapping. "Have you ever wondered where all those Chosen powers and Phoenix powers come from? Why we need Season Maidens and Dragon Champions?"
"Didn't it come from the fairy tale, the Story of the Balance?" Ash asked, shrugging. "I heard it had been around since the previous rulers were children."
"True, but while the powers do exist, how it came about was just all made-up, like all fairy tales are." Pierre, the Second Prince replied. "It was a measure to make sure people believe the powers as a myth."
"So, where did the powers actually come from?" Ash asked.
"It was our fault." Pierce admitted. "You see, neither my brother nor I were humans, we're half angels, half demons. There was a war in our world that went on for thousands of years, and it leaked into the human world."
"The blood spilled by those from our world got soaked overtime into the ground, and due to the blood from those in our world having magical properties, it thrived a gigantic tree that grows not by water, but by blood. It also drained natural energy from the land around them, which caused a wasteland at one point." Goldstein explained.
"The tree then started to bear fruit, fruits that were considered Forbidden, because they were glowing with pure power. Many people say those mystical and mysterious would provide the eater great powers. So, a Russian dictator did was to defy the taboo and ate the fruit, granting him god-like powers and gained powerful Aura for himself. In doing so, he became the sole person on the planet endowed with Aura. Using his new-found powers, he single-handedly ended the wars." Pierce explained.
"But while that fruit gave him great powers, it also came at a cost." Pierre added, "He got greedy and started to fear losing his power and wanted to protect his Aura from being stolen and ruled with cruelty, purging those who opposed him, making people live in fear that the Army he built would go after them just for thinking in opposition of him."
'What…' Ash thought.
"So I took him on, and finally managed to kill him." Pierce went on. "But then the Aura went to me. I realized that that Aura works on the 'You kill it, you bought it' system and the same could happen to me and I didn't want that Aura to corrupt others, so I decided to cut off most of my Angel-based powers and gave it up to Arceus to give to someone who he felt is pure at heart. That portion became what was known as the powers of the Chosen One."
"But then Prince Pierce became corrupted like he knew he would, so Prince Pierre had to engage him in battle, eventually killing him myself and taking over as the second Prince." Hisoki explained, as Pierre looked down.
"As the complete opposite and having Demon based powers, I decided to create the Storm, a powerful, bizarre and mysterious weather phenomenon that would grant each human powers depending on their characteristics." Pierre mumbled. "But they wanted more…"
"The leaders of each region approached the Second Prince, wanting more of the power. Literally launching all their powers he had given them via that Demonic Storm."
"Pierre easily caught them all into his hand, and absorbed them into his hand." Zelda grinned. "Of course, this was because the powers refused to harm its original owner."
"My own gift to them...used against me. How could they?" Pierre gritted his teeth. "I only knew that few humans would be able to wield them with good intention, so I took back all their powers and used them to create the Phoenix, knowing that the Phoenix has the ability to come back to life so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."
"So, the Phoenix came later?" Ash asked.
"Well, they existed at the same time, but the Phoenix powers weren't named until later." Gertude answered. "The Storm was where the Perks originate from."
"Perks?" Ash was puzzled.
"It's what you now call Special Abilities. Back then, the humans were able to use more than one Perk and you don't even need training to use it."
"But now…they could only use one, and lots of training is needed mainly because I want them to earn the right to use their own Perk." Goldstein continued. "When Pierre died, the Aura originating from that fruit somehow went to me. I knew if I did not find a way to harness that Aura, the bloody history would continue. After all, that Aura was such a desirable power."
"Goldstein used the powers bestowed to her to create Caldia City and turned it into magic, and created the Dust, the ÄRMs, the Pactum Card system…" Shiki said, waving offhandedly. "It was a Sanctuary for those born with magic, as at that time, there were hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft."
"Until the Secret War came, that is, led by a scorned suitor of mine along with those who hunger for their magic." Goldstein interrupted. "When I saw that Exhaurire Glove, I realized we needed to be assured that someone corrupt cannot get their hands on the secrets behind Caldia City, so I collected all the ÄRMs, went and met all the rulers up until Shiki to get them to create a Relic for me to safekeep, and stored it in another dimension. I also deactivated the powers of the Chosen One and the Phoenix of that time so that they won't give themselves away. The seal only was undone at my death, so it was the first step to making it fade into a myth."
"Princess Goldstein foresaw the fall of Caldia City and chose to protect what she created, and as a result of the Secret War, magic was all but lost to them, as Princess Goldstein only left one thing for her people. That Scared Urn that would bestow a Guardian Spirit, but because of the fact that they feed on the Aura of their host to function, so it often exhausted the host, and may kill the host." Pemota explained.
"This was a measure I put to ensure that only other rulers could use it, because they are the ones powerful enough to withstand the drain" Goldstein explained. "Because of the Secret War, those living in Caldia City as currently the residents are unable to use magic, at best being able to use ÄRMs and Dust."
"The Season Maiden/Master and the Dragon Champion didn't exist at that time, as we did not deem is necessary. It wasn't until I became the Phoenix did people start to realize it was real, and even as I was sick in hospital, I had people trying to sneak in to kill me in hopes to obtaining those powers. What I did was I cut a portion of those powers and suggested the Chosen One did the same. We both cut out our powers, combined them and cut it in half again and gave those to people we trust. That was how the Season Maiden and the Dragon Champion was born." Phönix told them.
"But why those names, exactly?" Ash asked, curious.
"Well, the Dragon is the term for The Big Bad's right-hand man or woman, and it's fittingly the substitute for the Chosen One or the Phoenix, and Champion meant they have supressed everyone else. Hence that term. Of course, it could also mean the Dragon-type Specialist, so it is interchangeable as the Dragon Champion can wield similar powers to the Pokémon and it tends to attune to their type affinity." Michi smiled. "As for Season Maiden/Master, it was because the one ability they willingly gave up for this role was Weather Manipulation, but because they could manipulate natural disasters as well, we just put it as them being a personification of the four known seasons."
"At the last years in her life, she made up the fairy tale, and distributed it to children." Kilian went on. "All while making toys come to life, which due to her excessive use, not even the Phoenix powers could keep her alive for long, because she donated parts of her soul to the toys."
"By the time I ruled, there were still people who felt that we were hoarding power, and starved for the power we had." Gertude admitted. "I was the one who made the Hunter Exams bloody, and a fight to the death, along with setting the standards for the Trainer's Tournament. At the same time, I dictated that every 25 years, it'll have a reminder of what we are fighting for. I didn't want to do this, but I felt it was necessary. You'd be surprised to see how easy the corrupted ones fall."
'I kind of expected that she was the one who introduced the violence. After all, she represents Destruction.' Ash thought, and said, "So, what's your point for telling us all these?"
"You see, as Princess Amethyst is the first person since Goldstein's time to be able to use magic-" Pemota started, "Hence, she and Prince Shiki were the first ones with Pactum Cards for a long time."
"But I thought the Council or whatever was the one who helped them with the ritual." Ash frowned.
"The only reason he was able to do so was because Princess Amethyst had magic, even if she did not know it." Phönix answered. "Pakura's magic was unstable partly because the magic was never hers."
"It wasn't her fault!" Ash said hotly, slamming his fist. "Do you think she wanted it? It was Team Rocket who did this!"
"I know." Goldstein said bitterly. "I did not expect technology being able to do this. We didn't even expect the system we thought up of to be used against us."
Phönix nodded. "Yes. Artificially transferring powers through technology is a monstrous thing, especially when it desecrates the dead and doing it on someone else. Not only does it make it more difficult to control the powers, it is likely when you steal those powers, you're only taking what those powers are bound to. Most of the time, the powers are bound to Aura. Your very soul."
"You mean Rosaline's theft of the Phoenix powers?" Pakura asked.
Shiki nodded. "Rosaline was considered fortunate, as she used that Exhaurire Glove so there were no side effects, but it is still considered a monstrous thing, to take people's powers by force and in a painful way. Especially since at that time, Flamma's powers were tied to her Aura."
"But everything is back to normal, right?" Ash asked, somewhat desperate. "We already killed Rosaline. The current Phoenix is Paku now."
"I don't think it's that easy, Prince Ash." Pemota confessed. "Like Princess Pakura said, the technology meant that you could artificially give powers to people now. There will be people who would try to make use of this."
"But who'd be that desperate?" Ash wondered aloud. "If you can't control those powers anyway, wouldn't earning your powers be better?"
"It is," Shiki agreed, "unless all you need is the power long enough try and locate the person you experimented on, and make use of them to take out someone else who holds the high political power, and people who could pose a threat."
"Speaking of power, we've come this far to help you restore your city. You told us the truth behind those powers, but how is it supposed to help us with Paku's Accidental Magic? You said the Council may be able to help us, but they can't! They told us themselves."
"I see…" Goldstein looked at them calmly. "Then I shall do it myself."
Goldstein stood up from her seat and approached Pakura, who narrowed her eyes when she casually held out her right hand. She must have done something, as Pakura's breathing became quicker like she was going to panic.
"Do you feel it?" Goldstein said to Pakura soothingly. "You shouldn't fear it, stop thinking of it as a curse. You could never make it go away even if it was artificially given, but you could accept it as a part of you. If you keep refusing to use it, it would turn inward and explode out of you when you can't control it, hence those Accidental Magic."
Ash did not see any outward reaction from Pakura, but felt the air crackling around them, indicating Pakura may be inwardly panicking.
"Shh, calm down." Goldstein told her, squeezing her hand. "You will be alright, the Accidental Magic will always work out in the end for you because you have people who would fight tooth and nail just to find you and bring you back safely. Just relax, and let the magic know you're willing to work with it."
Pakura nodded, and took a few deep breaths, before the air calmed down as well.
"Remember, everyone looks up to you, you're the one who can survive anything they throw at you. Never give them a reason to doubt you." Goldstein went on.
Taking Goldstein's advice, Pakura closed her eyes and concentrated. While Goldstein spoke, everyone watched on, silence befalling them.
"Believe that you could do it…" Goldstein urged.
After focusing, Pakura opened her eyes, her hands glowing a dark colour. She then summoned Rosaline's spirit, who glared at Pakura.
"You just erased her existence!" Goldstein gasped, as Pakura hastily shredded that spirit of Rosaline into pieces. "That's necromancy magic! See, you can get it to work for you!"
"That's pretty dark magic." Zelda commented.
"Does it matter if a magic is dark or light as long as you use it for good?" Goldstein asked.
"Wow." Ash had never seen that magic before. Now he knew why she was called the Dark Princess, if she mainly wielded Dark Magic in addition to being a Dark-type Specialist.
"We don't have long, Goldstein." Pierce reminded her. "We still have one more thing to do, remember?"
"One more thing?" Ash was puzzled.
Without another word, Goldstein conjured up an urn, and said, "Remember what I said about the Relics restoring the urn's magical powers. Focus on your desire to protect the region to the best of your abilities and offer a drop of blood and put your hand in."
Ash went first, doing as told and he saw a tiny female fairy holding a small egg, and inserted it into his mouth, and he swallowed it out of surprise. Pakura blinked as she also swallowed the egg.
Ash felt a warm feeling in his stomach, as Pemota said, "It'll manifest once the egg hatches to protect you, to cover up your weakness so that no one could find a vulnerable spot even you don't know you have."
"Like me. I had one because I was sick for my last years and it protected me until death." Phönix mentioned.
Meanwhile, Pakura was apologizing to Shiki. "I'm so sorry, Shiki. I'm sorry I killed you."
Shiki shook his head. "Stop it, Paku-chan. It's getting old. It's okay. I'm with the other rulers. It's – I can't even describe it. It's amazing with them." He just smiled at Pakura and looked at her like he's trying to memorize her face.
Pakura wanted to kiss Shiki, but realized it would not be fair to Ash especially since they were married on paper, hence she held back.
"I think we can leave PAL to those two." Pierre commented to the others, and the others nodded in agreement.
"Yes, those two won the Superpower Lottery, and once they fully realize the potential of each aspect, they will be unstoppable." Gertude replied.
"We should go," Michi said quietly. "Our duty is done here. Let them continue our Legacy."
A flash of light, and both of them found themselves lying on the ground at the chamber with the well, with their Pokémon licking their faces in worry.
Truth be told, they were not even sure how long they were beneath the earth, since anyone would lose track of time if they are deep in conversation with the rest of the rulers, which was someone everyone looked up to at a point of time. They had gone through a lot just to secure the Maga Chest and the Ruler's Relics, dumped all those unexplained items and trinkets into a hidden well connected to a dormant energy source.
But the what they got was basically the truth behind those Phoenix and Chosen One powers, and at the end of the talk, they got an egg and Goldstein advised Pakura how to control her powers. Neither of them were really sure what it all meant. They'd expected to emerge and find…something, anything. But there was no such luck.
"Ash, I saw it." Pakura whispered to him as they blinked at the late afternoon sun. "During the time we talked to the rulers, the energy was spreading everywhere in Caldia. The next generation would be born with magic again."
"What does that mean?" Ash asked.
"It means," Pakura replied, looking to the sky, "that our jobs as PAL's protectors are made easier."
"I guess that means things would change. Just have to be patient." Ash smiled, taking her hand. "Let's get back to the others for now."
True to Phillip's word, Jude's question was answered when The Evening Times came in, which was the name of the evening edition of The PAL Times. Unlike the main Times, The Evening Times was only published when a particularly noteworthy event happened, in which case it would be "rushed out".
"I wrote to the paper about the upcoming trial for tomorrow, to cut short the time Cynthia has to prepare. Chances are once she received the paper at the Battle Tower, she would be forced to prioritize whether to plan with the traitors, or confront Pakura herself." Phillip explained when Jude smoothed out the paper and gazed for a moment at the front page and looked up, giving Phillip the "Explain yourself" look.
"And because she would want Pakura out of the way of the trial, she's more likely to confront Pakura first." Jude realized. "You sure that plan would go off without a hitch?"
"Jude, when has my plans ever failed?" Phillip shot him a look.
"Well, apart from your battles with Ash and Pakura, never." Jude grinned. "So that was what you meant by I would find out."
He began to rip open the newspaper to read the report inside while Phillip looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Good thing most trainers don't really read the evening paper except for gossip or whatever and they were just talking about Pokémon and the tournament and who knew what other rubbish.
It was a different story for the League members though. Steven and Wallace were deep in conversation, both looking surprised at the sudden revelation. Lance was reading the paper while trying to eat his ice cream at the same time, but was reading the paper with such concentration that he did not notice the gentle drips of the melting ice cream falling into his lap.
Meanwhile, when Phillip caught a glimpse of Cynthia, she wasn't having a confident stride about her. Instead, she was visibly worried as she shot malevolent looks in their direction, likely suspecting their hand in this.
"Hey." A voice said. Jude and Phillip looked up and saw Ash and Pakura offering a large cone of cotton candy for each. "Cotton candy for your thoughts?" Ash asked.
Phillip blinked at the offered treat and grabbed it from his hands. "Definitely. Thanks."
As they all sat down, Ash asked, "Where's Akeno?"
"Trying to fix her date with Falkner. We can fill her in." Jude tore off a piece of cotton candy with his hand and popped it in his mouth. what were you up to?"
"It's a long story. I'll be better if I did this." Pakura said, taking out a gun and pointing it at their heads. She shot their heads, and memories come flooding at them, causing them to hold their heads and almost dropped their cotton candies, but Ash caught it with telekinesis.
Ash and Pakura waited as those two sifted their memories, and Jude was the first to break the silence. "This is a lot to take in, but I never thought the previous rulers have a lot to do with those powers."
"They didn't expect technology to be able to artificially give powers either." Ash said quietly. "We need to find a way to protect those powers."
"But three of them are already secure, right?" Jude was thoughtful. "The only one we are not sure of is the Dragon Champion."
"I think what the rulers meant was that someone is going to use those technology to try and gain the same powers as powerful figures like themselves, or have powers that could steal other people's abilities. They have already gotten their answer on whether it's possible, right?" Phillip said thoughtfully.
"What are you getting at?" Ash frowned.
"Can you think of nobody who had been exploiting these experiments and Pokémon, and await their chance?" Pakura asked.
It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Ash's heart. He knew at that moment that the rulers were trying to tell them that danger was coming near. In the form of the same people who experimented on Pakura.
"No…" Ash whispered. "Not them!"
"Oh, yes." Phillip nodded, knowing Ash had gotten it. "It's them."
"So that was what they meant by it's not over yet." Ash finally got it. "Arceus, I'm so stupid."
"That is why we need to devote our free time to training now, to master your abilities, and prepare for the day they would attack." Jude stood up.
Phillip opened her mouth to say something, but a beep came from Jude's Pokégear and Jude said, "Oh, Pakura and I have to prepare for the judging of the Semi-Finals for the Pokémon Contest."
"Who's left again?" Pakura asked dryly.
"Tonight's match-ups are Lisia vs. Solidad and Zoey vs. Marina." Jude ticked off, before saying, "Wait, you mean you don't remember? You're the judge!"
"Can't be bothered." Pakura shrugged.
"Fair enough." Jude nodded. "Are you two coming to watch?"
"I am." Ash nodded.
"I wish I could, but I have to go to that concert and dinner with Diantha." Phillip grumbled. "I want it to go well, but I am not holding out hope."
"You and Akeno are two different people." Ash reminded him. "Just be yourself."
"A stuttering, socially-awkward genius? Sure, everyone loves them." Phillip said sarcastically.
"And cute. You forgot cute." Pakura added, leaving Phillip to blush.
Phillip said, "Well…I better go prepare." He scuttled off.
Despite everything that had happened Jude decided to ensure that this event ran smoothly…until his eyes landed on a familiar face on the other side of the arena.
'As I thought, Cynthia's here.' Jude thought, as the others picked up on his thoughts. This meant Pakura and Phillip's gambits paid off.
'Let's just get this Semi-Finals over and done with.' Pakura replied inwardly, sighing with boredom, as she watched the match between Lisia and Solidad, which was left with two minutes on the clock.
At the scoreboard, it was rather dire for Solidad, as she was only left with ten percent of her original points, with Lisia having ninety percent left of her initial score. Pakura knew it'd be a foregone conclusion: Lisia literally had the talent that would someday exceed Wallace, who was a Pokémon Champion.
Solidad, while she did win a Grand Festival, her opponents were never really battle-based.
Solidad had chosen her Pidgeot and Slowbro as Lisia had chosen her Altaria nicknamed Ali and a Cosplay Pikachu. Apparently, it was some sort of special Pikachu can be dressed up into five different costumes corresponding to each of the five Contest conditions and learn exclusive moves which were linked to those costumes.
Somehow, she heard that Cosplay Pikachu was under the Undiscovered Egg Group, meaning it could not breed. It also could not evolve into Raichu via the Thunderstone.
Cosplay Pikachu released a wind with light blue sparkles in it from its mouth into the air. Then, small clumps of ice formed in the wind and grew longer and larger, forming into sharp icicles that started to rain down over the Pidgeot and Slowbro.
Slowbro tried using Psychic to redirect it, but Lisia had anticipated it and Ali fired a well-aimed blue beam from his mouth at the Slowbro, knocking it backwards. The blue beam also hit the Icicle Crash, exploding the ice into sparkles that rained down over the arena.
Solidad's Pidgeot spread its wings and both of them glowed white and shot glowing white feathers at Ali and Cosplay Pikachu, only for Lisia to counter with a bolt of yellow lightning from Thunderbolt, frying the feathers and Cosplay Pikachu hopped on top of Ali, flying gracefully towards Pidgeot.
Ali opened his mouth and sang a soothing melody and transparent circles come out of its mouth. When Pidgeot fell into a deep sleep, Lisia grinned and used Rain Dance, causing rain to fall all over the arena as Pidgeot fell to the ground. Cosplay Pikachu then fired the electricity in the sky, creating an electric cloud that fired several bolts down at both Slowbro and Pidgeot.
Ali then coated itself with white streaks as Cosplay Pikachu's cheeks started to release light yellow sparks, making the white streaks and yellow sparks alternate. It then blasted forward at both the Pokémon making contact with both targets knocking both opponents unconscious, just as Solidad's points reached zero and time was up.
"And time!" Jude announced. "And the Coordinator advancing to the Final Round is…Coordinator Lisia!" As everyone cheered for Hoenn's number one Contest star. Wallace was especially ecstatic as he clapped more enthusiastically than usual when his niece won.
Solidad had a saddened look on her face as she realized her progression in this Interregional Contest ended right there, but said, "That was a great battle."
"Tee hee. Don't feel too bad. This is just another important step everyone has to take to become a star!" Lisia said encouragingly to Solidad. "Let's do it again sometime!"
"Oh, alright." Solidad nodded.
'I have a sense of déjà vu.' Ash thought. 'Not sure why.'
"And please look forward to tomorrow's Finals, which would be Zoey vs. Lisia! I am sure this is one battle everyone is looking forward to, for whoever wins would get to battle the current PokéPageant Queen Pakura for her title!" Jude announced, as everyone screamed in excitement. "And I bade you all a goodnight." Jude winked, and the girls swooned, having hearts in their eyes.
Ash swore some guys had heart eyes as well.
After the Semi-Finals, everyone was standing in small circles, talking to each other, and Cynthia was approaching Pakura and told her that they needed to talk, while Champion Red isn't nearby. After all, as much as she did not like Pakura, she had to give Pakura a chance to come clean.
"Really?" Pakura replied unimpressed, "You came to talk to me…about what?"
Cynthia wasn't about to give up, though. "Pakura, can we go somewhere private to talk? Just the two of us?"
"Alright, sure thing." With that, she followed Cynthia out of earshot of the others. Jude watched the whole thing with a frown, and decided to follow the
"Make it quick." Pakura said, when they reached a private place to talk.
"It's just…" Cynthia took a deep breath. Honestly, what she did to Champion Red was unforgivable, and didn't see why she had to break this to her gently. "I think it's time you be honest with me. Really honest. I know you're cheating on Red with someone named Shiki, and I can't prove it, but it is really obvious you are already engaged with your ring way before Red. I don't know why you do it, maybe you think it's good publicity for your image or something, I don't know. But I don't like it, and neither would Red if he finds out. I won't let you hurt him."
Pakura blinked, and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Pakura," Cynthia replied upset and then she sighed, "Not only do you do that to Red, you also actively sabotaged my relationship with Red. If you really love him, you wouldn't have done this, but not only did you successfully alienate my relationship, you go on to cheat on him. It's not fair to take advantage of others this way."
Pakura did not have any outward reaction, other than bewilderment. It frustrated Cynthia to see that Pakura did not seem to harbour any guilt for what she did. But she did not deny any of those, implying what Cynthia said was true.
"And as for this Shiki guy? How blind was he if he doesn't see that you're cheating on him with Red? He's a fool to love you and too stupid to see who you truly are." Cynthia glared.
"Hey, Shiki's not stupid!" Pakura interrupted loudly, as Cynthia finally struck a nerve.
"Is he not?" Cynthia finally found her weak point. "Did he think of you as a wonderful person, believing in you to be perfect as others perceive you to be?"
Pakura lost her cool façade, as an image of Shiki came to her mind. In the image, Shiki was lying among the ice that Pakura had formed in the Team Rocket base, impaled with the knife that had killed him. His eyes were open and vacant.
"Did you sacrifice him for your happiness?" Cynthia asked.
"No…no…" Pakura began to shake and was on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry. I won't say a word." Cynthia reassured her. "As long as you come clean to-"
"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I'LL DO ANYTHING! COME BACK, PLEASE! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" Pakura was beyond listening at this point.
"Calm down." Cynthia grabbed the front of Pakura's shirt and pushed her against the wall to stop her panic attacks.
"That's it, I heard enough." Cynthia was pushed aside by an unseen force, and Jude was comforting Pakura. She did not realize at some point crowd had gathered, and from the looks of Pakura, neither did she.
Steven and Wallace went over to comfort Pakura, while Ash wiped her tears.
"What the hell did you do, Cynthia?" Ash was angry.
"What's all this about the cheating, Cynthia?" Wallace looked puzzled.
Cynthia sighed, and said, "I found out Pakura was cheating on Champion Red. I wanted her to come clean since as Princess and role model, it set a bad example."
Ash sighed. "This again? What made you think she was cheating on me?"
Cynthia told them what they heard, and Ash shook his head in disgust, taking her in his embrace.
"Is that true?" Wallace asked quietly, and Ash felt Pakura stiffen in fear. Pakura looked up at him and he gave her a gentle, reassuring smile before giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"ENOUGH!" Ash called out, causing everyone to turn their gazes towards him. "How dare you accuse her of such infidelity. She's the most loyal partner I could ever have."
Steven said, "I don't think what Cynthia heard was the full story, Wallace."
"While Cynthia is essentially right…" Jude admitted, glaring at everyone in the crowd. "She forgot one crucial detail: Shiki died six years ago."
"Died?" Cynthia did not know this one bit.
"You shouldn't jump to conclusions with what little you heard," Jude stated. "Shiki was her only family, friend and first love and practically raised Pakura. He died before she even met Champion Red. Why do you think you never see him, Cynthia? It's because he's already dead. We didn't reveal it because we did not want to hurt her and was trying to adhere to her wishes to keep this quiet. Thank to you, now it's exposed. Are you happy now?"
"I know you'd do anything to right things, but this?" Ash was angered. "I was willing to tolerate you, but accusing Paku falsely and assaulting her was the last straw. Arrest her."
He nodded to their Battle Leaders, who raised their guns to her.
"Champion Cynthia, stand down." Ran said coldly.
"Pakura, it's alright." Ash said soothingly, as Pakura was muttering incoherent words, with tears running down her cheeks. The crowd was murmuring, the people cursing Cynthia's name.
"You know what Cynthia, you just made me sure that Ash wasn't guilty for his mother's murder." Steven threw up his hands in disgust. "Tomorrow, when his trial commences, I am going to stand with him, and not that group."
"Me too." Wallace nodded, and walked away, nodding to the PAL group and giving sympathetic pats on Pakura's shoulder.
"Let's just get out of here." Ash stated as he and Jude escorted Pakura away from eyes that showed sympathy.
"Will she be alright?" Akeno asked, when all of them are back at the Battle Tower. "I mean it is a risky gambit, and she got emotionally damaged as a result of Cynthia triggering her traumatic memories."
"She will. She is the strongest woman I know, after all." Phillip assured her.
"They'll be okay. Ash won't be leaving her side." Jude added. "And we'll take good care of both of them in the meantime."
"At least it paid off. Cynthia won't be able to interfere with the trial." Phillip smirked. "Although, what about the Top 8 tomorrow?"
"Pakura has agreed to let her participate, which made everyone think it was nice of her, although it didn't really matter." Jude shrugged. "Tomorrow is going to be another long day."
"Well, you all performed marvellously." Ash said, walking into the living room. "Paku had pulled off a wonderful move. She was quite brave, risking her mental well-being."
"Wait, what about the females? I mean they are still in hospital from that Scarlet Anger attack." Phillip mentioned.
"Don't worry, I'll pop over to the hospital to undo some of the damage, they'll be up by tomorrow." Akeno assured. "With Cynthia being put under temporary arrest, their ward would be unguarded."
"Nice work. Next step, is to clear my name on my mother's murder. I will personally make sure to witness their downfall." Ash said coldly, as all the Elites exchanged cold smirks.
BP: Alright, if you have read until here, remember to check out my Yandere Simulator story and the RWBY x Pokémon crossover fanfic. Now onto some explanations.
This chapter is basically some explanation dump, as I feel that the two needed to know the truth behind PAL's innerworkings. I have this and the previous rulers planned for some time now, and I couldn't think of a better time than when they are restoring Caldia City. I didn't expand on the legends of each Ruler Relic because I felt it'll be too long, so I stuck to the truth behind the powers Ash and Pakura now wield. That is also why the battles are not elaborated upon as I wanted to focus on this one.
I have been developing the rulers as well because I plan to expand upon them in The Genesis Factor, which would be written by N. Aepic Fael and me together.
Another thing was about Pakura's gambit using her own mental well-being. She is the type to sacrifice whatever she had to make sure the plan works, because she had nothing left to lose. It is not easy for her to immediately recover from mental illness because she had suffered it for years and she was just trying to repair things with her Elites.
Speaking of writing stories, I have written a RWBY x Pokémon Crossover story, and I know although I wrote it while running on the emotion of anger, do check it out. I heavily depended on the Wikia/TV Tropes for information rather than watching the show to compensate for me not being an RWBY fan, having watched only two episodes.
The only reason why I posted it was because N. Aepic Fael told me to, and as a best friend, who was I to say no? Although, true, the PAL Series characters may seem overpowered when put next to RWBY characters, but like N. said, it's like putting Superman from DC Comics into a universe like POT. He'll be considered overpowered. Aura works differently for both, so…
Here are some fun facts about the rulers:
1. Gertude Blade stands at 480cm tall (15 feet and 7.5 inches), making her the tallest and heaviest of the rulers.
2. Phönix is the shortest of the rulers, standing at 150cm (5 feet)
3. Hisoki Yumeno was the one who came up with the concept of PokéPageants and its system.
4. Pemota is not from the Pokémon World.
5. Pemota, Pierce and Pierre are not human.
6. Gertrude has no Aura abilities whatsoever, relying on military tactics and raw hand to hand/weapon combat skills to fight.
7. Kilian is actually blind.
If you want to know more about the Ruler's Relics or the rulers in general, PM me.
Anyway, here's the TGF Trailer and Character Shorts for the chapter.
TGF: Jude Character Short
"True strength is acknowledging you aren't always infallible."
Jude dressed in his actor costume in his dressing room, rehearsing his scene in his head one last time. He paused to look at the bouquet of flowers sent to him by his supporters. His thoughts were clearly going elsewhere as his gaze landed on a bouquet of pink tulips. It was her favourite.
"Can I ask you something?" Jude asked Lacey, as both of them were taking a break from all their modelling in Unova. Jude was standing and leaning against the wall, while Lacey sat cross-legged next to him.
"Sure." Lacey shrugged.
"Why did you decide to start a modelling career?" Jude asked her.
"Same reason as you." Lacey replied.
"But..." Jude was sceptical, as Lacey said, "But why do I need the money when I have a rich family?"
Jude blinked and looked down on Lacey as Lacey smiled that sweet smile of hers.
In the present, the director came in, and told Jude that they are ready to start filming. Jude nodded, as the director placed a hand on his shoulder, as Lacey explained the reason for her modelling career.
"It's okay. You're not the first person to ask. I know I am quite fortunate compared to the rest of the population." Lacey nodded.
"Are you proud of what you did?" Another actor hissed at Jude, getting into character at the Director's cue. Jude merely sat on the throne as the Big Bad, twirling a bloodied arrow on his hand lazily.
"You see, my masterpiece not something to be proud of myself. It's for people to admire." Jude said in a bored tone as started in the script. He took out a phone and casually tapped the other actor's character's picture to state he had eliminated them.
"You see, even though I was rich, I longed for freedom." Lacey explained. "I can't depend on my parents' finances forever, because that'll put me into their thumb for as long as they live, even if I was an adult."
Jude took out his prop knife, and smirked as he charged towards the actor, both of them clashing with their respective fake weapons. As they fought, Jude zoned out into what Lacey had said next.
"But then, I couldn't stand them anymore. I need to find a way to get away from them without worrying for finances. At the long run, I want to be a beautiful model from Unova travelling to the region of dreams." Lacey sighed dreamily.
"Region of dreams?" Jude was puzzled.
"The PAL Region. But I heard it's hard to have a career there, and they are very strict when it came to choosing talent or something. That is why I need the money to hold out for some time." Lacey answered. "And not only that, my mother…she fell ill. My father refused to pay for her bills."
The other actor kicks down at Jude's legs, and Jude dodged by jumping. He immediately drew his revolver to shoot at the actor, only for the actor to deflect the fake bullets with his weapon. Jude ran up the wall while the actor gave chase.
"What?" Jude was flabbergasted.
"Yes, that is why I want to take his favourite diamond, in hopes that I could pay off those bills and…help my mother." Lacey pleaded. "You would help me, right?"
"I…uh…" Jude stuttered.
The actor was chasing Jude down, who turned around and fired two more shots at the actor, slowing the actor down. He then ran on out to the rooftop, and turned to face his adversary.
"I know it sounds complicated to do so, but I assure you it won't be hard... especially since I already planned this. All you need to do is play your part."
The two of them charged at each other, with Jude kicking away the actor's prop weapon, and Jude punching him to send him flying towards the roof ledge. Jude then grabbed him by the neck and dangled him. "Do you think you can fly if I let go of you now?" Jude sneered.
Jude hesitated, but Lacey was one of those whom he felt close to, and never said anything bad about him. "Alright, I will. What's the plan?"
At that moment, he knew he sealed his fate. He should have known better. He should have questioned her plan. But he was in love with her, and she had reciprocated it. But he didn't, and went along with what Lacey had planned. And then, one day, Jude saw the truth.
Jude smirked, as he tightened his grip around the actor's throat. He made sure his eyes showed no remorse.
"Hey, Jude, can I ask you one thing?" Lacey asked.
"What is it?" Jude blinked.
"If you get to go to PAL, can you take me with you?"
Jude looked around as the police arrested him for the kidnapping and theft of the diamond, knowing Lacey threw him under the bus. When he saw them approaching, he let fear take over him, and a flood of water just washed the policemen away. He had to make sure they don't chase him. He had to.
He simply watched as they drowned.
"I lost control. I just watched with fascination as they drowned at the sudden flood of water." Jude noted to himself while on the run. "And suddenly..."
Jude let go of the actor, leaving him 'plummeting' to his 'death'.
"all the people, even the manager that I saved in the first place, all of whom I'd laughed and hung out with..."
Jude looed over to the rooftop with an undisguised smirk, before turning and walking back.
"…they were afraid of me. I had to run, and ended up in the forest."
"Cut!" The director said. "Good job, Jude."
"Thanks." Jude smiled back, and struck a pose.
Jude took on the same pose in the forest, clutching to a letter that he found and staring down at it. Jude closed his eyes as he remembered he promised to take Lacey with him to PAL, but that was impossible now. But what PAL wanted with him was still uncertain.
'Well, I'll find out later.' Jude thought, tucking the letter back in his pocket. 'I guess if they want to execute me, it's what I deserve.'
Back in the present moment, everyone was babbling praise at him for being able to do the scene once without even needing a retake. Jude laughed and said, "No, it's just practice."
Jude stood over the corpses of his fellow examinees during his Hunter Exam, expression passive. At first, he was averse to killing after the drowning of several policeman, but realized in PAL, he had to do it if he wanted to survive.
He turned and walked off, not giving anyone further explanation. Though not looking back, Jude's smile dropped and said, "Just practice."
"It's alright not to be strong at times." The Dragon Prince told him. "We can't always find it in ourselves to stand our ground when things happen. Just live on."
When he got home, he looked at the multitude of awards and trophies he had received throughout the course of his career. And he said, "Yes…just practice."
He walked out of the room, expression sad before turning to a resolved one.
TGF: Lieutenant Trailer
"War can change the perspective of anyone. But what it would not change…is my drive to fight on."
The scene cut to a stone bridge built in front of a waterfall; lined with pillars on the edges connecting two bastions together. A woman with her brown blonde hair in a ponytail with platinate blue eyes wearing a military uniform watched from the top of a pillar as trucks drove out from the bastions, transporting men in soldier uniform that wasn't her own people.
The trucks were all carrying cargos that the woman knew their contained the supplies that Genesis needed desperately if they were to have the chance to survive and win this war.
"Commander, when do we move?" A voice asked from the comm in her ear.
"Not yet. Let me analyse the situation. We need those supplies." The woman replied. She watched, and when the truck went to a certain position, the woman said, "Sara. Shoot the front tires of the center truck."
"As you wish, Anna." Sara said in a sing-song voice. Anna saw a sniper rifle at the distance and heard the firing shot, shooting out one of its front tires, causing it to swerve left and right before coming to a stop. Sparks showered the floor as the disabled truck finally came to a halt in such as way that it unintentionally blocked the other trucks from passing the bridge.
Anna's expression was professionally serious as she leaped down from the pillar and landed at the bridge's center, glaring at the army of soldiers coming out from the truck. Some of them took out weapons, while others took cover behind the trucks and hoisted the rifles at Anna, surrounding her.
"Sara." Anna said. "Take out those with rifles."
"On it!"
The ones not having rifles as weapons closed in on Anna brandishing them. One got within striking distance, bringing his sword up but was swiftly countered as Anna grabbed him by the arm and threw him against the pillar, smashing it, and crushing the soldier. She then kicked another square in the chest, sending him towards two of the comrades, taking them out of the fight.
Anna sidestepped a bullet wheezing towards her head, and parried another attack from behind and countered with a kick, breaking their legs. She then turned around, deflected a knife attack and grabbed an incoming sword with one hand before spin kicking two more of the soldiers. Anna changed the directed of her kick to counter yet another swing, temporarily giving her a moment to analyse her surroundings.
The remaining rifle-wielding soldiers not taken out by Sara fired several rounds at Anna, as she dodged and deflected them with ease. Unwilling to keep this up, Anna ran towards the direction of the shooters and lunged at one of them, punching his head and snapping his neck and grabbed the rifle from the dead soldier.
She sensed someone behind her, and casually spun around and ensnared their swords with the rifle, shattering their blades with a well-aimed shot that actually shot through the blades to their heads. She then smashed the rifle against another soldier's head, instantly killing him.
When all the soldiers were dead, Anna walked over to the trucks, checking the large containers. She narrowed her eyes as the camera panned to the side, where a woman in a Raid Suit said, "The cargo is under Johto's jurisdiction. You can surrender now or surrender after I defeat you." The woman declared.
"You don't have much to say because you're on our property." Anna replied. "Maybe leave our region alone and I would consider."
"Well then. I hate to rain on your parade…" The woman said as she took out a whip. "But this is the end of the line for you." At her words, more soldiers came, but Anna was not fazed.
"You guys can come help now." Anna said in her comm. "Make sure the guard the supplies."
At that, her army appeared behind her, and Anna nodded to them, pointing to the soldiers behind her. Meanwhile, Anan rushed forward to take on the woman. The woman thrusted her whip at Anna as Anna parried it with her bare arm. Their weapon and bare fists clashed against each other with sparks coming out every time they clashed. The woman shielded herself and leaped to give Anna a side kick.
Anna did not lose her ground, however, as she twisted her body and blocked the next strike with a kick to her forearm. They briefly exchanged blows before Anna ended it by launching the woman with a throw. However, this seemed useless as the enemy commander jumped onto a rectangular pillar and kicked off of it.
Anna dodged the incoming whip, and the whip hit the floor with an explosion. When Anna was caught off guard, the woman saw an opening and dashed and slashed just under Anna's arm, stunning her but Anna managed to dodge the next kick. Anna took a deep breath before throwing a Poké Ball, summoning Gallade to help her.
The woman grunted as she decided to target Anna again, only for Gallade to Psychic her away just in time to prevent an explosive attack from the woman, sending the woman back. Gallade attacked again, this time taking the woman into the air. He tried to slam her onto the ground below, but the woman broke free and almost slammed Gallade, only for Anna to make use of this by punching her.
Gallade's mouth started to glow as he channelled the next attack to fire an orange energy at the woman. Undeterred, she casually deflected the orange beam with her rapier whip sending it back to Gallade, but Gallade managed to dodge. The woman looked up and leaped out of the way as Anna came crashing down with a kick from above, breaking the ground beneath them.
Despite the odds being stacked against her, the woman held out on her own as Anna Gallade viciously attacked her at all angles. But the woman was slowly overwhelmed as the Gallade used Thunder Wave on her Raid Suit, effectively crippling the function of the suit. Anna followed up by grabbing the woman and throwing her over the shoulder, slamming the woman on the floor.
Her Gallade followed up her attack, using Psychic once more to pin the woman, as she struggled to try and free herself from the Gallade's Psychic as he readied an energy blast; shooting the woman through the pillar and sending her sprawling on the ground.
Sparing no time, Anna and her signature Pokémon lunged to the sides as they flanked around the woman. Gallade used Ice Punch while Anna swung a kick with all her might. The woman gritted her teeth and sliced at Anna with the rapier, and ducked as the Ice Punch narrowly missed her.
But that was what Anna was waiting for. Gallade switched to Close Combat, barraging her with punches and kicks that sent her flying to the sky. Anna jumped up, and placed a well-aimed kick to her stomach sending the woman spiralling towards the ground, with the whip detonating at the same time. An explosive barrage engulfed the woman as the sky was decorated with orange explosions.
"That technology…she must have been a Paradinight." Anna commented to Gallade, who nodded in agreement.
Without saying a word both Gallade and Anna turned to see all the opposing soldiers dead, as her fellow team raided the supplies from the trucks.
"These should be enough to get by for a while longer." A young boy with black hair and grey eyes told Anna, a smile on his face. "After all, we can't stop until we win the war."
"Of course, Nevryn. Now let's get the supplies to the troops, before the next wave comes in." Anna replied.
Genesis Elite Four League
Former Genesis Champion- Stratos Ramirez (Specialty: Unknown)
Elite Four Member- Ariella Zhao (Specialty: Poison/Unknown)
Elite Four Member: Anna Guth (Specialty: Fighting)
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