And while I'm on a hot streak, have another chapter! Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 24: Of Princes and Princesses!

As soon as Glaceon had entered the ruins, a chill went up her spine. The place certainly earned its name, as the entire thing seemed worn down and broken. The framework seemed to be… relatively intact, but the inner parts of the first building seemed to be collapsing in on itself.

But that wasn't what bothered Glaceon the most about this place. No, what bothered her the most was how empty it felt. This was the first time in a while where she truly felt like there was nothing left. No noise, no people, not a single soul but her in this place. The creepy statues of Reshiram and Zekrom surrounding the main entrance weren't very good either… She quickly shook it off, however. She had a job to do, and she was gonna do it. As she approached the main entrance, it lit up with a light blue hue. A small ball of energy floated out of it, floating around Glaceon, almost as if it was analyzing her.

"DNA check complete. Descendant of Kyurem recognized. You may proceed."

Once the little ball had done its thing, the door into the deeper part of the ruins had opened. Glaceon was… confused, to say the least. Nonetheless, she continued down the hallway as the little ball floated beside her.

"Okay… So, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but… This is all just a little creepy to me. Are you like… a computer, or something?"

"I am the soul of the treasure that has been sealed away within the ruins of this temple. My abilities are far ranging, though I'm sorry if my tone of voice has startled you at all. It's been so long since I've had someone try and attempt to claim me, so I'm a little rusty."

Glaceon was getting even more weirded out at this point. A… soul? In the power of the land? This is getting weirder and weirder…

"Now then, I'm sure you understand the importance of this item, so I must put you through some tests to make sure you are worthy of wielding my power. Are you prepared to face these upcoming trials?"

Glaceon nodded as she continued to walk through the corridors. "Of course. My friends are relying on me to do this, and so I will."

"Ah… Yes. Your friends. Very well then, we're approaching the first trial: The trial of body."

As Glaceon and the spirit got closer, she couldn't help but notice her surroundings. The entire place was lined with dark blue stone, with pillars throughout the entire area. All the torches on the walls had bright red flames, lighting the way for them as they continued into the first room. As Glaceon opened the door, dust fell down as the door showed its age with a loud creaking noise filling up the room. Once she walked in, she immediately noticed that the room was not nearly as well lit as the previous corridor.

"Hm… Seems a little dark in here, doesn't it? And the last room was so well lit…" Glaceon frowned.

"This test will be one of your sixth sense. The room is purposely set up in a way where you will not be able to see or hear your opponent well. You will have to use your instincts in order to defeat them." The spirit floated around her. "I trust that you will do well in this test, for it is the easiest of the three."

Well, at least I know how many trials there are now… Still though, I've never fought in conditions like these before. I'll have to be careful. Glaceon nodded at the spirit's words. "Of course. I'll take them out no problem."

As she said that, the spirit disappeared, while Glaceon started looking around for a bit. Um… Where- Before she could finish that thought, something slammed right into her and sent her flying. Glaceon cringed as she was slow to get up, shaking herself as she tried to find whatever hit her.

"How in… I didn't even hear whatever hit me!" Glaceon frantically looked around, trying to find her assailant as she was drilled in the side by something blunt. She rolled across the ground, groaning in pain as she quickly shook herself off.

"Okay… Okay Glaceon. Get it together. Don't rely on your sight or hearing. Focus on…" She sniffed for a bit, smirking when she finally picked up on something. "...Your smell." She turned to the direction of the smell and fired off her Ice Beam, presumably hitting something and freezing it in place. Glaceon followed up with a Tackle, which broke the figure free but caused it to fly across the room. She could see it disappear as it landed on the ground.

However, she could tell it wasn't over. Another smell came to her, and she focused on trying to take it out. Something whizzed past her shoulder as she barely managed to roll out of the way. She fired a strong Blizzard attack back in that direction and managed to damage whatever fired at her. It disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, and once it did, the lights came back on in the room. The spirit came back down to her.

"Very impressive. Even if you used an… unconventional tactic, you still managed to defeat your opponents. This was a simple test, but the next two will truly test your abilities. Now, let us continue."

Glaceon smirked as she walked through the door to the next hallway. She wouldn't lie: She was starting to get a very big head. With how easily she had managed to beat that first trial, that nervous feeling had completely left her now. She turned to the spirit, the smirk still on her face as she started to ask some questions.

"So, what's the next trial about? You gonna test how fast I am? You gonna see how smart I am?"

"Not necessarily. This next test will be one of mental fortitude. If you are to wield me, I must make sure that you'll be able to withstand any mental trouble you may face."

"Pfft." Glaceon rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm ready for anything. Gimme your best shot, I can handle anything you throw at me!"

"Heh…" It seemed like the spirit was… chuckling? "That's what they all say. But, if you're so confident, then let us begin."

The two entered the next room and prepared for the next trial.

It had been about an hour since Glaceon had left the castle to do her trials. Flareon was still worried sick, and everyone knew it. He was pacing around the room, deep in thought as he stared at the ground. The others were constantly stealing glances over at him, though not daring to look for long periods of time. He looked… incredibly stressed.

However, after a while, Jolteon had had enough. "Alright dude, I'm sorry, but I can't stand seeing you like this. Would you just give it a rest? She's gonna be fine!"

Flareon sighed and shook his head. "I know, I know, but… Ugh, I just can't shake off the feeling that something bad's gonna happen to her."

Sylveon walked up to Flareon and patted him on the back with her feelers. "Aw, honey… You've gotta have more faith in her. Glaceon's a nice, strong young woman. She's gonna be fine in there."

Flareon clicked his tongue. "You're right… I guess I'm just on edge cause I can't be in there with her."

Leafeon nodded. "I guess that's fair. But listen, we're all worried about her, big guy. But we know she's gonna be fine. Heck, I bet she could probably come back within the next hour!"

Flareon smiled and nodded his head. "Heh, yeah… Okay, I believe you. That helped. Thanks a lot, you guys."

Leafeon gave him a toothy smile. "No problem, Fluffy~"

As Glaceon stepped into the next room, she noticed… nothing. Not that it was bland, no, but rather there was literally nothing in here. It was just an abyss of darkness and black. Glaceon wasn't scared, but… confused.

"Uh, hey, spirit thing? Why isn't there anything in here?"

No response.

"...Spirit? Hello? Did you just ditch me here?"

Nothing.

"Listen, I know this is supposed to test my mental fortitude, but I have no idea what I'm doing here!"

"Aw, is the little Ice type stuck on what to do? How pathetic."

Glaceon's attention was pulled away from her current predicament as she heard a familiar voice. Wait, is that-? "Flareon?"

As she turned to the source of the voice, Flareon's figure started to emerge out from the shadows. "Yeah, it's me alright. I came here to see if you'd actually did what you were supposed to for once. But, once again, I'm left disappointed."

Glaceon couldn't help but be hurt by that. "Wh-What? Flareon, I haven't failed, I'm still-"

"Still doing the trial, right. It's not like you're wasting all of our time by doing this or anything. I would've been done 5 times over by now if I were doing it. But you're too much of a screw up to do it that fast."

Glaceon got a little mad. "Y-You… You don't mean that at all, do you?"

Flareon smirked. "Oh, I mean it, alright. And not just me, either." As he said that, the rest of the group started to appear out of the shadows. "I decided to bring everyone along to let them vent out how they feel to you."

Glaceon's eyes were wide as she realized what was about to happen. Sylveon was the first one to step up and say something. "Unbelievable. I gave you every chance not to fuck up in something as simple as proclaiming your feelings and you couldn't even do that right. You're worthless."

Espeon stepped up next. "You're always just getting in our way, aren't you? First with your idiotic sacrifice on the mountain, and now this. You really just can't stop your emotions, can you?"

Tears started forming in Glaceon's eyes as the insults kept coming. "P-Please, s-stop… I-I'm sorry…"

Leafeon scowled at her. "Look at you, crying and broken on the floor. And to think I was ever your best friend. I might as well have been best friends with a snowman. At least that wouldn't hold us all back."

Glaceon put her forepaws on her head, the tears streaming down her face. This… This isn't real… Th-This can't be real… Th-They don't feel… that way… Do they…?

Vaporeon walked forward, right next to Flareon with a smug smirk on her face. "You're nothing, Glaceon. Nothing but a little kitten who wants some love. Unfortunately for you, we've run out of patience with you. It's time for you to get lost!"

The rest of them echoed the last part of the sentence, as an echo of "Get lost!" echoed throughout the room. Tears were streaming out of Glaceon's eyes as she buried her head in her paws.

S-Stop! Please! Please make it stop! I can't take it anymore! Someone please help me!

Someone please help me!

Flareon's eyes opened and he jumped out of his blanket, startled at the sound he had heard.

That… That was Glaceon's voice! She's in trouble!

Flareon started running toward the main gate as Jolteon slowly opened his eyes. "Wh… What the? Flareon, where're you going?!"

Flareon didn't even bother to look back as he reached the front door. "Glaceon's in trouble! I've gotta help her!"

Jolteon's eyes widened as Flareon disappeared behind the front door to the castle. He quickly got out of his blanket and went to the others. This isn't good… I better go tell the others.

Glaceon couldn't handle this anymore. The insults… the degradation… it was all so overwhelming. She was laying down in a puddle of her own tears. However, Vaporeon thought it wasn't enough.

"Now now, Glaceon… Don't cry. Flareon's in good hands~"

She looked up for a split second, only to see Vaporeon kiss Flareon smack on the mouth. Her pupils shrunk as she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She wanted so badly to look away, but she couldn't. Her eyes were fixed on the scene in front of her: The scene of the man she loved turning his back on her. This was it. This was gonna be her end.

Glaceon, hold on, I'm coming!

...That voice… It felt familiar to her.

Don't give up! I know you can hang in there! I'm right behind ya!

...Flareon…?

Glaceon blinked the tears away from her eyes. She looked around the scene. Wait a minute, something's wrong… She turned to Umbreon, who was… wait, huh?!

Glaceon grit her teeth, stamping her forepaws into the ground. "You… You're not real at all! This is just a trick!"

Flareon chuckled. "Oh wonderful, now she's gone insane… Look, just do us all a favor and get lost, would ya?"

Glaceon's fear and sadness was all gone. As she turned to the Flareon in front of her, there was only one emotion on her face: rage. Pure, unadulterated rage filled her as green sparks coursed through her body.

"How dare you do this to me… How DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOUUUUUUUU!" As she screamed, she fired off a massive Freezer Burn, turning around in a 360 to make sure all of the group was hit with the attack. On contact, every single one of them disappeared in a puff of smoke, taking every ounce of negative energy that they had with them. Glaceon landed on the ground, panting from the adrenaline rushing through her body.

As she got down, the spirit floated down next to her. "Impressive. Very impressive. No one has managed to get past this part in thousands of years. I must say that you are quite the Pokemon."

She angrily turned to the spirit. "I'm done."

"...Pardon?"

"I'm done with these games! How dare you try and force those lies on me?!"

"It is all part of the test. I have to make sure you're worthy of the right to wie-"

"Then how's this for proving my worth?!" Glaceon charged up another Freezer Burn, firing it at the door as it blasted right through it. In fact, it was so powerful, it even made a hole in the door behind it. Glaceon smirked, using Quick Attack to dash through the holes, immediately skipping the third trial.

"...Note to self: Don't get on her bad side when it comes to that Flareon." The spirit floated after her to try and catch up.

Once it did, the two of them were in the Chamber of Creation, as it was called. "Well… I must say, this has been… very unorthodox, to say the least. Usually you'd have to pass 3 trials in order to be worthy of wielding me, but…"

Glaceon gave the spirit a death stare. "...You… seem more than worthy. Also incredibly frightening…"

The spirit floated back into the staff on the pedestal near the back of the room. Glaceon walked over to it and picked it up.

"It has been over a thousand years, but now I have found a new master. Mistress, I will do my best to serve you for many years to come."

Glaceon smiled and nodded, but another voice cut her off. "Years? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. Perhaps minutes would be a better word."

Glaceon turned back to see… "sigh How did I know that you'd follow me in here?"

Flareon was absolutely rushing through the snow. His heart was racing. He'd never run this fast in his life. All he could think about was Glaceon and how she was doing.

I… I gotta get there! I gotta go and help her! If I waste even a second, she could die! And I refuse to let that happen!

Need some help with that, Floofy?

Flareon was a little surprised at who he heard. Melvin?

Yeah. I was thinking I could take over real quickly. You know, until we get there.

And why would I let you do that?

Because this was originally my body, so I'm more used to it, which means less chance of us stumbling over ourselves. Besides, I'm just naturally faster than you.

Flareon considered it for a quick second before nodding his head. Ok, fine, go ahead.

His body flashed a bright yellow for a quick second before simmering down, Melvin appearing after the light dimmed. "Hehe… It's showtime, baby!"

He flew across the ground at lightning speed, with the rest of the back looking on in shock. Espeon was the first to say something. "W-Wait, did Flareon just let Melvin take over?"

Sylveon chuckled. "N-Now now, I'm sure there's a very logical explanation for why Flareon would do something like that…"

Jolteon grit his teeth. "Ok, now we need to hurry! If we don't catch up, Melvin's gonna screw everything up!"

The rest of the group nodded as they began to increase their pace.

The Alolan Ninetales started walking around the room a bit, looking at the scenery laid out before her. "You know, this place looks awfully boring… Could use some renovations, hm?"

Glaceon didn't bother responding to that. She just sat there, a hard look on her face. Ninetales just clicked her tongue and smiled at her.

"Now now, Glaceon. No need to be so adamant! Just give me the staff and nothing will need to go down. No fighting, no bargaining, nothing." She smirked at Glaceon, who merely hid the staff behind her back.

"Yeah, right, like I'd actually give it to you. I went through hell to get this, and I'm not letting you of all people have it!"

Ninetales sighed and shook her head. "Oh, sweetie… You don't seem to understand, do you?" She whistled, and as she did, a trio of Weavile came into the room. Once she began speaking again, her voice became grave. "I'm not asking for it. I'm demanding that you give me my rightful heritage."

A bit of panic began to form inside of Glaceon as she was becoming outnumbered. She swallowed and looked down to the staff.

You don't need me.

Glaceon looked at it with a confused expression. Huh?

You have your friends. I can grant you power, yes. But all the power in the world won't mean anything when you're outnumbered.

As he finished that, a huge Flamethrower burst through the doorway, blasting Ninetales and her Weaviles all over the room. Ninetales looked incredibly pissed as she got up. "Urgh! Who has the balls?!"

Jumping through the hole in the wall, Melvin landed on his feet with a bright smirk as he stared down the Ninetales. "Oh boy, a whole room of ice types! This is gonna be fun!"

Glaceon looked a little scared as Melvin entered the room, backing away a bit as he began to go after the Weaviles. "Oh no, M-Melvin?"

Don't worry about Melvin, I've got him under control.

Flareon's voice again… She didn't know why she believed that it was actually him, but… She had other issues as of right now. She looked to her right to see Ninetales looking at her in disgust.

"That staff… Give me the staff! Give it to me right now!" Ninetales charged up an attack, firing off a Moonblast in Glaceon's direction. Glaceon swung the staff in front of her to try and block it, but as she did, a barrier came in to reflect the attack right back. It bounced off of the barrier and hit the wall behind Ninetales.

"Woah… The staff protected me!" She looked down at the staff in surprise as it glowed with a blue hue.

Correct. I have many abilities that should aid you in this battle. Shall we clean up?

Glaceon smiled before smirking at Ninetales. "You bet." She swung the staff around in a circle in front of her, causing an iron chain to be created in front of her. The chain quickly went towards Ninetales, wrapping around leg with a tight grip.

"Wh- What? Get this off of me!"

Her demands were not met as Glaceon swung the staff upwards, causing the chain to fling Ninetales up to the ceiling. She hit it with a loud crash before Glaceon swung the staff back down, causing the chain to throw Ninetales into the ground. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, how the mighty royals have fallen~ Is the staff a bit too much for you, sweetie?~"

Ninetales growled, jumping out of her crater as she caught Glaceon off guard with a blizzard. Glaceon flinched and skid backwards a bit before starting Ninetales down again.

"Ngh… Well, in that case, let's dance!"

Meanwhile, Melvin was having an absolute field day. The Weaviles kept trying to overwhelm him, but everytime they tried to jump him, he'd just fire off an Overheat and send them all backwards.

"Wow, this feels amazing! I can't even remember the last time I enjoyed myself like this!" Melvin charged up a Flare Blitz and sent the leader of the Weavile flying through a wall. "Seeya later, idiot!"

Flareon groaned at the sight. Ok, maybe this wasn't such a great idea…

Aw, c'mon, I'm just having a little fun! It's been a while since I last battled, let me enjoy this!

Eh… Alright, fine. As long as you don't jeopardize Glaceon's safety, I guess…

With a wide grin, Melvin turned to the other two Weavile, who were starting to cower in fear. Melvin slowly walked towards them, licking his lips as he eyed them up. "So! Who wants to give Uncle Melvin a hug?"

The two of them quickly got up and ran away through the hole that their leader was sent through. Melvin clicked his tongue and turned to the other battle going on.

Why doesn't anyone wanna give me a hug?

Maybe because you beat up their leader and generally just look really unsettling?

Oh please, even with the weird eye on my forehead I still look adorable. It's hard to make a Flareon look bad.

I mean, I guess? Why would you even try to do that?

Oh hey, Glaceon's kicking the royal's ass.

Melvin was actually right on this one. Glaceon had figured out how to use another spell, this one trapping Ninetales in a bubble as she flung her around the room, bouncing her off the walls, floor, and ceiling. Melvin sat down and watched the Ice and Fairy type bounce all over the place. Glaceon looked over at Melvin and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… Melvin? You gonna help?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nah, I think you've got this under control. I'm just here to watch the show. You got any popcorn?"

Glaceon giggled. "No, but you'll probably want it. I don't think I'm done toying with her yet."

Melvin blinked at the comment, rubbing his eyes to make sure he heard that right.

Did… Did she just…?

Huh… Didn't think she had it in her.

And here I was thinking Glaceon was innocent.

Not gonna lie, it's pretty hot.

Melvin, don't you dare.

I'm just saying, dude. I'm just saying.

Once the bubble spell ran out, Ninetales collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily as she struggled to even look in Glaceon's direction.

"Gagh… Y-You… How dare…"

Glaceon yawned and walked over to the Ninetales. "Alright, I think you've had enough…" She pointed the staff at the Ninetales, surrounding her with Psychic energy as she had her hover above the ground a bit. Not too long after, she flicked the staff up and to the right, flinging Ninetales through the ceiling and into the horizon.

Melvin conceded control to Flareon once she had done that, and Flareon couldn't help but feel a smile crack onto his face. "Wow Glaceon, I… That was really impressive."

Glaceon perked up, turning backwards to see Flareon with his own body again. She blushed a little, though she still smirked at him. "Heh, well, you know how it is… Not gonna let some blue blood take me down~"

Flareon chuckled, though it was short lived as the rest of the group barged in. Jolteon rushed in and scanned the room. "Alright, where's the-" He looked over at Flareon and Glaceon. "...trouble…"

Sylveon smiled. "Well well, looks like the power couple managed to ward off the danger~ I'm impressed, you two~"

Glaceon got all red in the face as Sylveon said that. "Sylveon, we're not a couple! So stop saying that!"

Flareon tapped Glaceon tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Glaceon?"

Glaceon turned over to Flareon. "Hm? What is it, Flareon?"

But she didn't get a response. Instead, she got a full blown kiss on the lips. The red on her face intensified by an incredible amount. She… she felt amazing. It was the first time she'd ever really kissed someone… And she wasn't gonna pass it up. She closed her eyes and leaned right back into it as some hooting and hollering were happening near them.

"Oh my Arceus! It happened! It finally happened, you guys!" Leafeon was bouncing all around, acting as if she was the one who was getting kissed right now.

"I… Oh, this is too much… They're so cute~" Sylveon was swooning right now.

After a little bit, Flareon pulled away from the kiss, smiling at Glaceon as he looked her in the eyes. "Heh… Sorry I didn't do that earlier, Glaceon. I've been meaning to do it for a while."

Glaceon's blush didn't go away, but a goofy smile was on her face as she giggled a bit. "I… I'm just happy you did at all~"

Flareon chuckled and nuzzled her neck. "I love you, Glaceon."

Glaceon smiled and nuzzled him right back. "I love you too, sweetie~"

End Chapter 24

Oh man, this one was fun to write~ Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed! If you did, Like and Favorite to show your support! If you didn't, write an angry review and tell me why you hated it and me! Anyways, have a nice day everyone, and thanks for reading!