Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon.
I also apologize in advance for any Grammar/spelling errors I missed.
Chapter 13
What on earth is going on? Glace asked herself, rubbing her eyes with a paw as she groggily walked to the door of her room and opened it. Any sleep left in her eyes was quickly forgotten at the sight of various pokemon running around the corridor from both directions, talking with each other with a solemn expression. She could sense the urgency and suddenly, it just hit her. Does this mean they are going for war with Aurora kingdom!?"
Without stopping to recollect the memories of her dream, she swiftly walked through the corridors towards the main court and then to the throne room. He tail and ears were lashing about wildly, occasionally coming in collision with the pokemon running in the hustle and bustle as they threw and caught various objects that were to be taken along in the battle field.
The sight of the throne room was no different except for the fact that there were much fewer pokemon there. Eight Liepard were standing in a line next to the red carpet that led to the throne. They were sitting with their backs straight, paws held out to be sharpened by a Nuzleaf on a rapidly spinning machine.
The Umbreon Prince stood on the opposite corner of the room. A Bisharp was putting on his gold armor. A golden band was put on each of Skull's ears and tail and gold bands were on his paws too, nearly covering his entire legs except for the upper part. As the Nuzleaf moved away to assist the others in sharpening the claws of the noble Liepard, Glace approached Prince Skull. He saw her and gave her a smile, as if reassuring her about his return, a subject which was not troubling her.
Prince Skull turned to walk to the balcony to avoid the commotion in his otherwise peaceful throne room. He motioned her to follow him with his tail and she did so, not simply because he was the prince and could not be rejected but because she wouldn't have liked anything else at the moment.
Skull put forth his front paws on the edge of the balcony and leaned forward, breathing in the silence that had fell upon his empire. Glace took her position beside him, only she didn't lean on the balcony but rather kept her four paws firmly on the ground.
"The silence before a war," he commented, smirking. She followed his gaze down to the city below. There were very few pokemon in sight from that altitude. The activity in the kingdom was not the usual busy one. In fact, the city sort of looked abandoned with the little number of pokemon that could be seen.
"You said you were worried about the Aurora kingdom," she said, trying to mind her tone with the Prince. She had to keep her expressions straight while conversing with him.
"Yes, I am," he said. "They are the kingdom of Psychic types. I am worried about Lady Esperanza."
"Who is this lady Esperanza you speak of?" She asked, looking at the Prince now. His gaze was still fixed to the city below. Outside the castle, she could already see the army nobles assembling themselves to march to the battlefield.
"Esperanza was a dear friend of mine," He told her, stealing her attention from the gathering army. "There was a time when I was in love with her and she was in love with me," He paused and sighed.
Glace waited for him to go on, but when he didn't, she concluded that it was all he was willing to offer on the subject. She tried not to inquire deeper into the story despite her curious nature. She hadn't confided in him about her past. The least she could do was respect his privacy. She sealed her queries in her heart.
"I would like to make a request," she said, turning to look down just like he was.
"Oh," he replied. "What does lady Glace please?"
"I would like to accompany you to the battlefield," she said sadly. It was an odd request for a pokemon whose experience in fighting was next to none.
"You do know that it is extremely dangerous and highly unadvisable for a lady," he said, blinking disbelievingly at her request. For the first time ever, Glace had managed to baffle the Prince.
"Yes, I do know that," she replied a little aggressively but he decided to let it pass. The gravity of the situation didn't leave any allowance for a personal argument. "I would still like to go with you."
He stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. For a second, she was absolutely sure that he was going to reject this request but then, his expression softened and he nodded. "Yes, you may come. But you must stay by my side."
Glace felt a blush creeping up to her cheek. She quickly activated the icy powers in her and froze the veins in her face before they could carry the blood to her cheeks and turn them a sharp crimson. Because of that, she couldn't smile up at him and she simply nodded, making him believe that she was serious about the situation altogether, which he ended up admiring silently within himself.
Almost an hour later, Prince Skull, accompanied by Glace on his left and Absol on his right and the Liepard, was walking towards the army. After reaching in the front line, they began to walk outside the city.
"How do you know they are coming to fight you?" Glace asked.
"One of our spies reported them advancing towards our territory from the Northern side," he told her, looking ahead to the plains. He walked much faster than usual and the warriors behind him copied his movements. "We are moving in defense. If we don't fight now, I'm afraid they might move to our kingdom to conquer it altogether and add it to their territory."
Glace didn't ask any further questions. The walk seemed to take hours to reach the battlefield. At first, they were walking along on the desert plains. Slowly, Glace began to feel the ground below her paws grow soft and moist and she could see little signs of vegetation. Soon enough, the vegetation began to grow and she found herself to be walking on a grassy prairie. The feeling of the soft grass beneath her paw pads was soothing. Wide grasslands stretched for miles ahead of them, their end only to be marked by the growing hills which marked the beginning of the Aurora Kingdom's territory. It was a shame that such a beautiful prairie was going to be showered with blood by the end of the day.
Prince Skull knew that these grasslands were much more beautiful and lush on the other side but that was the territory of his former love. He had visited the Aurora kingdom often but that too, was a really long time ago. That was when he and Queen Esperanza were together. He sighed as an image of her face drifted into his mind.
The Darkus army consisted mostly of mightyena, houndoom and Bisharp. Other than this, there were a few numbers of Zoroark and Mandibuzz as well. The army wasn't a very large one but given its pokemon, it looked fit enough for a war.
Prince Skull's gaze was fixed on the horizon where he knew that Aurora kingdom's army was approaching. Glace followed the direction of his gaze and narrowed her eyes. It was faint, but she could see a large number of pokemon approaching.
Soon enough, she could make out the pokemon that were approaching. The pokemon she saw were not psychic type, but actually an entirely different type altogether. Glace darted her eyes around from left to right in hopes of catching at least on psychic type amongst them but there were none.
The Aurora army was entirely made of ice pokemon. The most prominent of these were the Froslass, poloswine ad Beartic. A few larger ice-types such as Abomasnow and Aurorus could also be seen dotting the massive group. Just like the Zoroark in the darkus army, these were very few in number.
"How come they are not psychic?" Glace turned her head to Skull to ask him.
"The Aurora kingdom is united with Glacier kingdom by a bond stronger than friendship," he said, slightly amused. He hadn't expected less. 'Marriage."
"Marriage?" Glace said, perking up her ears in confusion.
"Em hm," he replied. "Queen Esperanza is married to the Glacial Kingdom's king. Since Psychic type is immune to our dark-type abilities, she adopted the strategy to 'borrow' an army from Glacial kingdom."
Prince Skull did not look impressed but he did not seem to disapprove entirely of the strategy either but the way he said 'borrow' made is sound despicable. Sapphire could not tell if it was the idea of knowing that his love had married another that crossed him or the fact that this kingdom was in no position to be challenging Darkus given its dependent status and still chose to do so.
The armies now stood facing each other, each of the pokemon ready for a brutal kill or a gruesome death, which ever may they achieve first.
It was Absol who led out the battle cry. "In the name of Giratina!"
The Darkus army immediately fell upon the Aurora army. The noises and cries were released and the pokemon attacked each other like vile outlaws.
The Mightyena charged towards the poliswine and Beartic, hoping to make a quick kill with their jaws and claws. A mightyena pounced on to a beartic but was immediately caught in mid-air by the giant and swung back into his comrades. They collapsed on the grassy terrain but were immediately up and this time, attacking with their claws out front.
Three of them attacked a single beartic. He managed to grab hold of one of them but the other two were on his back, clinging to him and digging their claws into his white fur, staining it with the bright red that oozed out from the fresh wounds. One of them bit him hard in the neck. The Beartic howled and shook himself violently, trying to overthrow the Mightyena but he was successful in putting an end to him.
The Piloswine were charging towards the Bisharp, steam puffing out of their noses in aggression. The agile pokemon made a few swift jumped and landed on the backs of the Piloswine, riding them around the battlefield. All efforts to throw the Bisharp off were in vain and they kept swiping them with metal claws, making a quick kill of many of them in the first few minutes of the fight.
A single Piloswine was able to use earthquake, causing the ground below the Bisharp to break. They fell into the giant crack that opened in the ground and swallowed them, their bodies now buried in this battlefield. A few manage to jump in time to avoid falling into the crack and landed back down just when it disappeared. The only thing left of the dead bishrap was the small puddles of blood that had gushed out of their bodies when they were crushed.
Meanwhile, the houndoom had charged at the froslass. They attacked them with dark impulse, aiming at them from a few meters away but their attacks were quickly rendered useless by the forslass's frost breath which froze their moves in mid air and left them largely ineffective as the ice shattered. The frosslass dashed towards those houndoom, a giga impact ready at their fists. The Houndoom made a swift dodge, and then, grabbing the Froslass by their lower part of kimono with their teeth, they slammed them face-first into the ground and began to dig their fangs into their throats. A single Froslass was able to manage a Blizzard, causing the Houndoom to fall back on their heels and allowing a few of the froslass to recover. They further countered with ice beams, freezing those houndoom on spot into solid ice.
The Zoroak and Abowmasnow were head on head with each other, their claws intertwined with each other as the brutes tried to overthrow each other. A Zoroak was able to throw an Abomasnow on his back. The overwieght pokemon couldn't get up, giving the Zoroark and opportunity to finish him off with a Night Slash. At the same time, another Zoroark was head to head with another Abowsnow. The Abowsnow gave a deadly blow to the Zoroark, causing him to retreat. The Abowsnow unleashed a wood hammer. The Zoroark fell to the ground but with his agile movements, he was able to swipe his legs below the Abowsnow's feet, causing him to stumble forward onto the grounded Zoroark. He held up his claws which were immediately plunged into the Abowmasnow's heart as he fell on the Zoroark, crushing him to death under his weight as a consequence.
Prince Skull was advancing fast into the Aurora territory, striking a serious blow with his dark impulse on the attackers. Glace on his side was using ice shards as much as she could to throw off most of the attackers but her moves were hardly any good. The liepard ran alongside their king, using hone claws and aerial ace on the Aurora army pokemon to get them out of their way in order to keep moving forward
Where is she? Umbreon Prince grumbled, gritting his teeth as he let loose a night slash onto a beartic. He signaled to the Liepard to disperse into the battlefield, leaving him and Glace alone together in the middle of a chaotic situation.
Absol had fallen far behind when he decided to take down an Aurorus who had managed to kill three of the Liepard that were accompanying the group. Currently, he was at the pokemon with the blade on his head plunged deep into the Aurorus's neck. The Aurorus died on spot and Absol landed easily on his paws as the giant pokemon fell to the ground with a heavy thud, shaking the ground under his weight and causing a few combating bisharp and froslass to lose their balance. Absol dashed around the field, killing many pokemon as he searched for Prince Umbreon.
On the other hand, Skull and Glace were still running around the battle field, searching for someone apparently only Skull knew of.
Out of nowhere, Skull felt a sharp pain begin to form inside his head. The pain grew to an excruciating level, forcing him to crumble on his knees.
"AHHH!" He cried, kneeling on his front paws and closing his eyes tightly. It was illogical because so far, no pokemon had been able to even touch him, let alone wound him.
Glace leaned herself over to the Prince anxiously. "Prince Skull! Are you alright?!"
He howled in the unexplainable pain, a paw to his head as he tried to feel for some kind of cut on the back of his neck. He gave himself several scratches with his own claws while he knelt from the growing pain. Glace put forth her paw on his, moving it away and pushing the Prince to lie down.
The Liepard, noticing their prince, came to his defense and surrounded him in a circle, keeping the attackers away. They unleashed hyper beams and held up their moves, moving it around to the pokemon outside their formation.
"Ahhh," Skull groaned, trying to fight the pain and to get back up on his feet to fight. He managed to open one eye to grasp a vision of his surroundings. A beartic from the opposite side jumped over the Liepard and charged towards Glace. She used ice shards but to no avail.
Glace screamed as she saw the Beartic fast approaching her, ready to rip her body to pieces. She turned her head away and screamed, firmly believing it would be her last.
At the sound of her voice, Skull was immediately up on his feet and he tackled the Beartic with Assurance, throwing him off far into the distance. The Liepard quickly finished him off with Night slash, leaving him to bleed to death.
"Thank you," Glace managed to stutter between her gasps as he helped her to her paws. The pain returned and he fell on his knees once again.
"Your Highness!" Glace shrieked, leaning close to him. She tried to keep him from falling on his side.
"UMBREON!" Skull heard a voice inside his head. His eyes widened at the sound as he recognized who it was. Glace noticed this too. Her brows furrowed with anxiety for Prince Skull.
The Madibuzz were hovering in the sky, darting their eyes for the enemy pokemon. The first ones they saw were the Aurorus giving the Bisharp a hard time. The Bisharp attacked with their blades at the necks. The Aurorus countered with ancient power and the ground below them crumpled, blowing them back with the massive force of the dirt and rocks from underneath the grass. The leader of the madibuzz troops gave a signal to his fellow members. Spinning rapidly in the air, they showered down on the Aurorus like arrows using their air slash. The aurorus craned their necks to dodge the approaching birds. A few were completely depleted of their powers and fell on their sides. The beartic at their feet fled for their lives but many were crushed under their weight while their enemies, the Zoroark and Bisharp were immediately recued by the Mandibuzz who grabbed them by the shoulder with their talons and flew them to safety.
Prince Skull was still in pain. He kept trying to get back up and fight but his body refused to, almost as if someone had gained control of it.
"Skull! Have you forgotten me?" The voice in his head spoke again. There was a hint of cheerfulness in that voice, enshrouded in hatred and despair and hopelessness.
"Esperanza?" Skull thought in his head, hoping that she could hear him with the telepathic control she had built with him. It also allowed her to control his movements and Skull was sure now that it was causing the severe pain inside his head. He had seen her do it before and knew well that she was capable of crushing boulders with the kind of energy she could manipulate. He had always lived in the confidence of the fact that she could never muster the courage to kill him. Now, he was not so sure.
"You remembered me. How sweet of you!" She giggled again, the voice booming in his head. He tried to avoid her sarcastic remarks and mocking.
"Where are you? Esperanza?" He asked her, his body shivering with the pain that now ran along his back and down to his feet. Glace was terribly worried and was now kneeling over while the Liepard continued to shield the pair.
"Could it be that you're afraid of facing me?" He asked her, his own voice mimicking her sarcasm. The pain was increased to higher levels, making him howl. Glace winced back at his outburst but was quickly at his side, tending to him by gently massaging his shoulders. She had no idea how relaxing it felt to the Prince.
"I am not afraid of you," Esperanza said in his head. "Look up."
He felt himself regaining his strength. She loosened her psychic grip on him, allowing him to regain his composure. He slowly rose to his feet and raised his head, looking over to the hills. There, on the edge of a cliff, he saw Esperanza. She was standing alone, wind ruffling her silky pink fur and tail and ears swishing with their movements. She smirked when Skull caught her looking over, eyes narrowing slightly. She wore a silver chain with a ring in it around her neck and her smile was a rather devious one. Skull immediately recognized the ring. She read his mind.
"You recognize this ring don't you Skull?" She said, speaking in his head again telepathically. "It is the ring of promise you gave me when you promised to marry me and only me."
"That was a long time ago!" He yelled at her in his thoughts, frowning at her from below the grounds. A Froslass tried to tackle Skull. His instincts acted up and he blew her back with his shadow ball and then diverted his attention to Queen Esperanza once more.
He saw that her eyes were no longer looking at him, but at the one to his right. He turned his head to see Glace, looking at him, confused. What is the matter with him? She thought to herself. One moment he is fine and the next, he's drowning in pain!
"Who is she?" Esperanza asked telepathically in a soft tone with a hint of harshness and jealousy. Skull couldn't have missed it if he wanted to. It was one of the things he clearly remembered about Esperanza. Her jealousy when any other female was around him. Thinking back to those times almost made him want to smile. Almost.
Skull's eyes widened when he saw Glace emitting a strange pink aura that now surrounded her fur. She began to ascend for the skies and Skull understood immediately that it was Esperanza's doing. Glace screamed at what was happening and he started towards her.
"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" He pleaded to Esperanza who was using her psychic abilities to lift Glace off the ground and into the skies above. Only, he had accidently said it out loud. Skull tried to make a quick grab at her tail but missed by an inch and the Glaceon was taken high in the sky, all the while she screamed for help. Why did I bring her! She should have stayed back where it was safe! He scolded himself.
He ran amongst the battling pokemon around him, his eyes fixed on Glace who was hovering high in the sky. "DROP HER! PLEASE!" He pleaded to Esperanza. She didn't answer him.
Esperanza stood at the cliff. She had ceased her conversation with the Darkus prince but was still reading his mind. A tear trickled down her pink cheeks when she realized how concerned he felt for the Glaceon she was so mercilessly carrying in the sky, ready to drop her down to her death from the high altitude. This was how he had felt about her once. A tear fell on the ring around her neck, making a soft clicking sound that was drowned out by the noises below.
She brought her paw to her face, wiping the tears that were now flowing down endlessly from her eyes, messing up her luscious pink fur. She lost control of the hovering Glaceon. Gravity took control and Glace felt herself descending at an incredible speed.
"HELP ME!" She screamed in the air as the ground closed in, as did her death. Skull had been anxiously following the flying Glaceon, keeping the same thought in mind for her safety in hopes that Esperanza may read his mind and leave Glace alone.
He dropped to his legs below her and she landed on his back with a loud thud. He winced in pain, hoping that he didn't break his back. Glace on the other hand had managed to make it without a single scratch. She quickly got off the Prince's back and kneeled over, checking to make sure he was unharmed.
"Your Highness?" She said, nudging his muzzle with her own. It seemed that the Prince had been knocked unconscious as he wasn't really moving. Then slowly, he began to open his eyes and tried to get back up on his feet.
"Are you alright?!" Glace asked anxiously, her eyes widened and filled with concern for the prince. He struggled to his feet with a little pain but other than that, he had managed not to break any of his bones.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said, breathing heavily. She couldn't bring herself to believe that he was still worried about her safety even after the massive damage he took to his strength and stamina in saving her.
Their moment was cut short when Esperanza raised a cry from the cliff. Skull's head was immediately turned into her direction.
"Forces! Retreat!" She spoke in a loud voice. Although he couldn't see it, he was sure that Esperanza was crying at the moment.
There was a flurry of action as the ice-pokemon began to retreat. Many of them were killed at the hands of the Zoroark and Mightyena in their attempts to make a silent retreat. The Darkus pokemon were not willing to allow that. In their defense, a few Beartic and Aurorus were able to freeze the Zoroark into solid ice, allowing more of their pokemon to escape.
Some of the Aurorus were in such a haste to escape that they crushed many of the Bisharp and Houndoom carelessly, even the ones that didn't attack them. The Madibuzz landed on the blood-soaked grass prairie, ready for their meal of the dead pokemon that lay scattered on the ground.
The Battle came to an end with the victors being the Darkus Kingdom.
Skull was breathing heavily with his fearful encounter with his ex-fiancé, Queen Esperanza. At the same time, his heart was at peace for the fact that he had managed to protect the Glaceon he saved once.
On the battlefield, Skull knew that Darkus had won. But if hadn't been for the sensitivity of Queen Esperanza, they would have lost for sure. He would have anyway. In a manner of speaking, it was the Aurora kingdom that prevailed over them.
She really does have the courage to attack me. He noted. With powers like that, it is highly likely that she could have killed Glace. Then, why didn't she?
Thanks for reading guys. See ya later.
