Kings and Sages

Four Months later

The great ceremony hall was full of yellow and orange light that streamed in through stained glass windows. It was unusually warm despite the vastness of the chamber and its cold, stone floor and walls. Perhaps it was all the bodies. Figures dressed in formal, medieval inspired attire stood in carefully arranged lines, observing the ceremony in silence.

All eyes watched the youth in official garb who carefully sat in a chair twice the size of his scrawny body. A golden crown precariously balanced on his bushel of tea-green hair. He was perhaps fifteen or twenty, legendaries knew, Sa'lu had long forgotten his age.

"Let me present to you our future…. Our King." The man who stood to his side, an older version of the boy, announced to the audience and in turn, the boy stood up, his arm rising and figuratively accepting his new role as regent king.

At that moment everyone in the room dropped into a simultaneous bow, silently pledging their allegiances to their new leader.

Sa'lu chose to keep to the shadows of a looming pillar, her body straight and rigid and her arms crossed. She stood by, watching as the ceremony drew to a conclusion and speeches of change and cries of congratulations were given. Then one by one the audience filed out, leaving only the King and his sages in the room.

The 'so called' head sage noticed Sa'lu and nodded a silent greeting, gesturing for her to follow him and together they entered into a small chamber off the main hall.

"Close the door behind you, will you?" Ghetsis tugged the official, castle inspired cloak over his head and heaved a weary sigh.

Careful so as not to crease it, he hung it from a coat stand before rounding his desk and sunk into a wooden chair.

"You can sit, half-sister," he muttered beneath his breath and gestured her to a similar looking chair.

"I'd prefer to stand," the silver haired woman stated bluntly.

"Fair enough," Ghetsis leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers together, the serene look of a sage dropping to make way for the lesser known authoritarian – even despite being twenty years her junior.

"So… what do you think?" he spread his hands wide to indicate his domain.

"Charming little place," his half-sister replied flatly, "And the ceremony was simply… touching." Her face was straight, as though to be chiselled out of stone.

But Ghetsis only chuckled. "To bring in a new order, the formalities were… necessary. With N operating as Team Plasma's head, it will give me the chance I need to focus on my plans."

"And does N know what he wants to do with this organisation he has just inherited?" the tone of Sa'lu's voice made it clear that she didn't approve of her brother's actions. Giving up the leadership, in her eyes, was a sign of lax.

The sage frowned, "You know I really wish you would sit."

Sa'lu's eyebrow rose in reply.

"After all, I am doing this for us, Sister," he continued.

"Yes, you always have been the people person," she replied with a hint of indifference. "What is it that you want, Ghetsis?"

Ghetsis paused to gather his thoughts before uttering a sigh, "It seems N isn't as ready as I hoped he would be to play his role."

"Is that perhaps because you failed to socialise him?"

He cast his sister an angry scowl. "You and I both know what he is. If the Dragon clan ever got wind…"

"I know," Sa'lu cut him off and heaved an exasperated huff.

"…which is more than what I can say for your daughter."

As was to be expected, he struck a nerve and the woman slammed a fist on his table. "Ghetsis, do you want me to walk out?"

"No," he backed and stated, his tone going soft. "I want you to train N to become a leader."

"He's too old."

"But he's had no experience in the outside world. He knows only what I have intended him to know. His mind… is still mouldable."

Sa'lu cast him a sigh, rubbing the rim of her nose. "I don't approve of this plan of yours, Ghetsis. Entrusting an entire organisation to a mere boy."

"You give me what I want and in return, I will ensure that your needs are met."

"I already have plans," Sa'lu scoffed. "Besides, what makes you think I'm not capable of accomplishing that on my own?"

Ghetsis smirked, his expression going cold. From his drawer he found a photo and threw it onto the desk. It landed neatly in front of Sa'lu's rigid stance. It was a photo of a very obviously pregnant blue/brown haired woman and her red headed companion.

"Because you're like me, it's all about the legacy."

The chilly December breeze felt good on my face. The morning, ocean mist bringing me refreshment as I heaved another strained breath, desperate not to break my concentration.

Sweat dripped down my brow and my body felt numb from the constant exercise.

"He's beginning to break, Umbreon! Keep going!" Her holler sounded aloud across the beach. "Assurance."

I watched the little Pokémon come at me with the force of a storm, zig-zagging across the sand. Reeling on the spot, I flared my cape, my unexpected movement confusing it and causing it to miss its target. There I turned its own charge against it in the form of a Dark Pulse.

The Umbreon howled as it staggered backward across the beach, taking its strongest hit yet.

"Nice shot, Dragon Master!" The Umbreon's trainer stood by. With her hands on her hips and a smirk wide across her face, Karen of the Elite Four watched me.

"Thanks… I guess." I heaved up a breath, the muscles in my legs burning from a mix of the battle and the struggle to keep me balanced in the sand.

It didn't take long for Karen's Umbreon to pull itself to its feet and shake off my last attack. It faced me again from across our makeshift battle arena.

"It's a pity you're only limited to learning specialised Dark Type moves, Lance!"

"Mmhmm," I muttered, trying in vain to block out her constant babble. Why the woman always insisted on talking through battles was beyond me. She wasn't nearly this noisy when we battled in the League.

"Umbreon! Confuse Ray!"

"What?!" I stopped suddenly and bellowed at the top of my lungs. "That's not a dar-"

Her loud, ruckus laughter sounded over my protest and I soon found myself having to ward off the little dark devil's attack.

"Oh geeze, Karen!"

The Umbreon unleashed a purple ball of sparkling energy that quickly hurtled in my direction. I had two options, take the attack head on or throw myself into a counterattack. I opted for the latter. Summoning every remaining ounce of my energy, I vanished into a Faint Attack just as Umbreon's Confuse Ray hit the ground where I once stood and dissolved.

For a moment the Umbreon stood, never moving until I appeared in front of it and… stopped. The Umbreon blinked once… twice… and then unleashed a Tackle that sent me tumbling onto my back.

"What was that?!" Karen exploded and I lay there wheezing, struggling to force air back into my lungs. "You missed a Faint Attack?! How is that even possible?! Faint Attacks don't miss!"

Her shadow approached and she stopped, standing over me and staring down at my pathetic form in the sand.

"I didn't miss. I just… couldn't finish the attack."

"Again with the physical contact," she heaved a dissatisfied grunt, extending a hand and helping me to my feet. "How is that any different to an attack that doesn't require you to physically touch the Pokémon?"

I wiped my sweaty brow with the back of a sandy arm. "I don't know. I guess I just… don't like the idea of…"

"I know… I know. Its always a battle of abilities with you isn't it? Even in the league. You conjure these rules in your head that make sense to no one but you." She gave me the roll of her eyes and signalled to her Umbreon that the battle was over and it was free to leave. "Come on, I'll get you something to drink."

Making our way up the beach, we approached a cabin that sat located on the outskirts of the main town on Cianwood Island – Karen's home away from the League. Though what was more commonly known as a sunny holiday destination this morning was nothing more than a dreary, cold beachfront.

"Take a seat," Karen directed me to a stool at the kitchen bench that looked as though it'd been crafted from driftwood. She poured me a glass of water. "So, no Kair today?"

"No, not today. She needs the rest." I accepted the water and finished it in several gulps.

Karen gave me a knowing look. "If these kids are anything at all like you, I can imagine Kair must be having the time of her life carrying them," she said sarcastically.

I chortled in reply, "Especially as one of them is a psychic like Kair."

"Oh? You mean these abilities are hereditary?"

"Yes," I nodded hesitantly. "I had trouble believing it at first, but the more he grows, the more I can see they're in communication. Its just simple things for now - like sharing feelings. But it'll only be a matter of time before he learns other things…"

"And the girl? What about her? Do you think she could inherit your Dark ability?"

"No," I shook my head. "Kair fell pregnant before I took on this ability. As far as we can tell, she's a perfectly healthy, normal baby girl."

"Well at least one of them is normal," Karen snickered.

I replied to her remark with a smirk, though I guess my worry was still evident on my face because she soon took on a more serious front.

"You're concerned that the boy will end up too strong aren't you?"

"I suppose you could say that."

Karen gave me a nod before she unexpectedly excused herself and disappeared into the next room, only to reappear a few moments later carrying a Pokéball in her hand. I pulled myself to my feet just as she released its inhabitant.

A young Sneasal formed on the kitchen floor. Standing as a biped, the little brown furred Pokémon carefully watched us. It can't have been older than a few months.

"He's only just been weaned so he hasn't received any form of training yet." Karen explained before she placed the ball on the bench in front of me. "But I'm sure you'll have no trouble teaching him to keep your son's abilities in check."