Chapter 14: The Guardian
Ash sat up inside his tent and stared at the Water Badge from Lady Nessa with Pikachu.
Two days passed since they left Cyllage City, and Ash and his team still felt a bit giddish about their victory.
"The first of many."
"Pika!"
Serena lay nearby on her stomach and rested in just her bare skin like Ash. The Princess beamed at her husband with a warm smile. She loved seeing his true passions come to fruition, much like her performances.
"Do you think the other Galar Earls will be as strong as Lady Nessa?" Serena asked while moving her feet about in a manner that drew attention to her exposed backside, certainly not intentionally, especially as Pikachu shook his head when Ash's expression became almost blank when he looked away from the badge.
"Pika."
"Fenn." Both pokemon shook their heads while Serena giggled.
"Huh?!" Ash's face turned bright Red.
"Well, I certainly hope so. Pas de défi, pas de plaisir. If they keep getting stronger, then so will we!"
"Pika chu!"
Serena's expression soon mirrored Ash's, and she felt his determination spread throughout her spirit.
"Oui! That's right, just like we'll keep pushing our performances!" Serena declared while rising to her knees and raising both fists up.
"Fenn!"
Ash considered Serena the most beautiful woman on earth already, but seeing her with such confidence and dedication reminded him of one of the things he truly loved about her.
He pulled her into a passionate kiss to emphasize this point, which she eagerly accepted.
"Hmmm." Serena moaned. However, as she slowly withdrew, Lady Nessa returned to the Princess's mind.
"Do you think Lady Nessa is scared? Being a prisoner in a foreign land?" Serena asked with genuine concern for the noblewoman while running a hand through her long hair.
Ash stroked his chin for a moment but then shook his head.
"J'en doute, I could tell she's tough from our battle. Plus, she has her husband, sir Zach, with her."
Serena nodded but still looked slightly worried for Nessa.
"She's also pregnant." Ash's smile faded slightly, but the knight quickly shook his head.
"Count Grant is a good man. He'll make sure she's taken care of until a ransom payment arrives for them or prisoners to exchange. After that, I have no doubt she'll go back to Galar for their baby's safety."
"Oui. Baby." Serena thought to herself before looking down at her own stomach. She hadn't thought much about children for a while, which felt slightly silly considering she and Ash hadn't ceased their marital 'activities' even while on the move.
"Ash, I've been wondering. Should we start thinking about our own family?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked obliviously, Serena, Pikachu, and Fennekin all sweatdropping with crestfallen expressions.
"Pika." Pikachu said with a somewhat impatient expression before pointing to Serena's stomach.
Ash's face turned redder than before, and he almost jumped.
"Oh! Je vois." Ash muttered while nervously sweatdropping.
"Ash, je suis serieux. We should really talk about this. If we are going to have kids, is being on the road like this and putting ourselves in danger the right thing to do?" Serena asked with growing unease.
Ash shared her angst and felt conflict grow inside him.
"Oui, you have a point. I suppose it limits our options. We could remain in the safety of Shalour city when we arrive or wait until the Galar are driven out before having kids."
Serena grimaced a little, but both options had come to her head too.
"Oui." Pikachu and Fennekin hated seeing their trainers so conflicted and attempted to comfort them. As much as Serena wanted to perform across Kalos and raise the spirits of her people, and Ash wanted to fight to free the Kingdom/achieve his dream of becoming a pokemon master, another image came to both their minds.
The couple pictured themselves with a son and daughter, Serena holding them, then doing the girl's hair while Ash taught the boy how to train pokemon and fight as a chevalier. Somehow, this fantasy gave both more joy than their dreams, mainly when they saw themselves as a happy family.
"We haven't reached Shalour City yet. I suppose we don't have to decide yet." Ash suggested. A part of Serena didn't like that answer, but another part of her took over and made her eagerly nod.
"Oui! We have plenty of time." Serena spoke in a vigorous
tone while wrapping her arms around him again. Pikachu and Fennekin's relief instantly faded, and both ran out of the tent as Serena guided Ash onto his back and began passionately kissing him while his hands found a home on her backside.
Later that morning, the two sat together alongside the others for breakfast after an intense morning training session for all of them.
Bonnie eagerly brushed Pancham for Serena while she did the same for Fennekin and Charla, all while cuddling up beside Ash.
Red and Clemont smiled a little seeing the two still so happy together. However, after a moment, it made the squire feel slightly depressed. Clemont's stomach tightened when Shauna's smiling fash flashed through his mind.
"Nous la trouverons." Red assured Clemont while placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Huh!? I was-" Clemont started.
"Clemont, we know you miss Shauna. Red's right. We're going to find her." Ash added. Serena's face hardened into a fiery metal, and she sat up before nodding with vehement determination.
"En effet, nous le ferons!" Serena would never forget her friend's utterly selfless sacrifice to ensure she and Bonnie escaped.
"We will, brother!" Bonnie added, coming over and placing her hands on his. Clemont wiped the tears from his spectacles and nodded.
"Merci."
The pokemon cried out in similar enthusiasm, especially the two Charizards who sprung to their feet and roared before nudging their trainers' hands, or rather the keystones resting on the gauntlets.
"Pika." Pikachu sighed, smiling a little. Since successfully mega-evolving, both Charizards wanted to do it at every chance possible. This chance came a day earlier when they ran into two squads of Galar routiers that considerably outnumbered them.
"Char." Charla blushed before she also nudged Ash, clearly wanting to see Charizard mega evolve again. However, Lucario and Sceptile looked at their companions, then their mega evolution stones with longing gazes.
"Tile."
"Grouuu."
Ash and Red saw this and tried to comfort them when the group heard someone approach them.
"Fletch!" Ash's Fletchinder came back holding something in his beak before landing on Ash's shoulder and saluting.
"Ahh, bien, there you are. I was starting to get a little worried." Fletchling evolved during their fight with the Routiers the day before. Fletchling had been eager to prove himself after failing to defeat any of Nessa's pokemon and managed to beat three routier pokemon all on his own, evolving in the process.
"What have you got here?" Ash asked as he took a torn cloth from Fletchinder and offered him a bowl of pokemon food, which he eagerly accepted.
"What is it?" Bonnie asked, but the young adults all went pale when they realized that Ash held half a banner, Duke Lysandre's banner.
"Dddduke Lysandre, he's he's here." Clemont stuttered.
Ash grit his teeth while turning to Fletchinder.
"Did you get this from Geosenge town?"
"Fletch!"
"Merde!" Red snarled.
"Maybe it's not the Duke himself, just one of his lords or ladies." Serena pleaded, but she sounded more hopeful than confident.
"Peut être, but even if that's true, we can't stop in the town now." Ash sighed.
"He's right." Clemont pulled out a map of the area and pointed to an area just east of the town.
"If we're careful, we might be able to slip around to the east and take route 11 to the caves of reflection. Shalour City is just north of there."
"Oui, that's a good plan. Fletchling, were the skies heavily patrolled?" Red asked.
Fletchling nodded.
"Looks like we don't have a choice. You'd better put on our armor before we get moving, Clemont." Ash said.
After finishing breakfast and packing up their stuff, Clemont armored up himself and both knights. From there, the group moved traveled north, staying just off the road.
Despite passing many travelers after the liberation of Cyllage city, the group saw virtually no one but wild pokemon as they got closer to Geosenge town.
"Where is everyone?" Bonnie asked as they approached abandoned farming fields and vast mountain ranges in the distance. Serena tightened her grip around Ash's armored hand, a stone-like feeling filling the Princess's stomach.
However, as they got closer, a mixture of relief and confusion overtook them. None of the farmhouses or barns looked ransacked, instead merely abandoned.
"Wait here." Red said as he drew his sword and entered one of the houses with Sceptile.
"Fais attention." Ash said cautiously. A minute or so later, the two emerged with baffled expressions.
"Étrange, it almost looks like those who lived here left in a hurry. There's still some livre and other valuables scattered about."
"There is? Why didn't Lysandre's men take anything?" Clemont asked.
Ash, Serena, and Red thought back to the Parfum Palace and Baron Xerosic's brief occupation. He and his men didn't take any of the priceless treasures in the royal estate.
Serena looked out at the town itself, which unlike many across Kalos, lacked walls. Instead, the great wood and stone buildings rested at the base of vast mountains, which proved some natural defense.
The only fortified structure was a massive citadel in the center, serving as one of the many royal estates. Serena remembered spending time here, but those fond memories turned bitter when she saw Duke Lysandre's banners flying from the turrets.
"What do you think Lysandre's men did with the locals?" Serena muttered, her face turning slightly pale. Ash placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and readied himself to speak when the pokemon heard something in the distance.
"Huh? What's that?" Bonnie asked. Ash, Red, and Clemont knew the distinct noises of a battle.
"Something's happening." Red climbed onto Charizard's back while Ash and Serena did the same with his.
"Hey, what about us?" Clemont asked.
"Stay here, we'll come back." Red said, making Bonnie pout.
"Aww, Bonnie wants to know!"
Both Charizards took off, with Charla, Fletchinder, and Noibat close behind. All five pokemon took care to watch for any flying pokemon that might be serving Lysandre, but soon, like their trainers, found themselves lost in a fierce melee just east of the town, right in the entrance of Route 11.
Red wanted to curse that their path lay blocked, but the knight found himself intrigued as he looked closer at the battle, which appeared more like a series of skirmishes between groups of men-at-arms.
On one side lay soldiers/knights from Lysandre's host, but Red, Ash, Serena, and their pokemon almost gasped when they realized that they fought Galar forces.
"Quoi!?"
"Pika!?"
"Grauuu!?"
"Fletch!?"
"Noi!?"
"Char!?"
"Lysandre is fighting the Galar!?" Serena muttered.
Ash tried to make sense of the situation when Red had his Charizard move closer to get a better look. Upon doing so, he noticed a few interesting details. For one, unlike all of the other Galar forces they'd faced, this company of knights and men-at-arms didn't dress strangely.
Their armor and weapons appeared almost identical to those used by other Galar; only they lacked the outlandish facepaint, whigs, and hairstyles that marked the rest of the Galar. Instead, any decorations were of personal coats of arms or their company as the Kalos did.
This company carried a banner depicting a frozen tundra housing an Avalugg that looked like an icy castle.
"Think this is bowfin. You haven't seen anything yet, hackit!" Red heard one of the Galar soldiers roar as he and a Frosmoth battled one of Lysandre's men-at-arms. The man spoke Galar but with a very distinct accent from the others and after a few moments, Red put the pieces together.
"Crown Tundra! Ash, Serena, these are Crown Tundra men!" Red almost laughed. The Crown Tundra was Galar's northernmost province whose people were fiercely independent of the rest of Galar. However, the Kings of Galar had successfully subjugated them on numerous occasions.
Despite this, some Crown Tundra still resisted and traveled to Kalos during times of war to act as mercenaries against the rest of the Galar, whom they despised.
"Crown Tundra!" Serena cried, equally surprised.
"Bien! Voir they come as allies!" Ash cried out in joy as he pointed to groups of townspeople, farmers, and their pokemon rushing to safety under the protection of the Crown Tundra mercenaries.
"Bien! But who hired them-" Charizard felt Red go limp and stare down with a blank and almost overwhelmed expression.
"Grauuu?" Charizard looked in that general direction and almost yelped at what or rather who he saw.
xxx (Play Kisara's Theme from Yugioh)
"Chassez-les! Pour Kalos!" A Rapidash charged into the fray with a young woman on his back. The young woman wore a suit of armor while carrying a Kalos banner which flew in the wind alongside her incredibly long hair, all the while a Lucario raced beside her.
"N'ayez pas peur! We're here to save you!" Korrina cried to the fleeing people of Geosenge town.
Red didn't speak but merely found himself lost in her silvery eyes, bright yellow hair, courageous expression, and beautiful face.
"Grouuu!" Korrina's Lucario fought off several of Lysandre's pokemon when suddenly a Machamp came up from behind and seized him with all four arms.
"Grouuu!" Lucario snarled as he tried desperately to break free, but a pair of Machoke quickly took advantage of the situation and mercilessly attacked his unprotected stomach.
"Lucario!" Korrina charged straight for him and readied her keystone.
Red yelped in much the same way he had upon seeing Alexandre get captured when he saw one of Lysandre's knights, also on a Rapidash, charge up from the side and knock her to the ground.
A squad of Lysandre's men-at-arms raced in to fight off the Crown Tundra mercenaries who tried to help Korrina, allowing the knight to dismount and seize her by the back of her hair.
"Let go of my, you filthy traitre!"
"Silencieuse!" He snarled.
"Non! Red touched his keystone out of pure impulse, and Charizard roared in delight upon feeling their bond cause him to nearly explode with power. Ash, Serena, and their pokemon almost jumped upon seeing this, and before any could even ask why he'd done this, Red, Charizard Y, and Noibat flew straight towards the melee below.
"Red, what are you doing!?" Ash cried in utter bewilderment.
"Pika!?"
"Char!"
"Grauu!?"
"Geeze, why would he do that?"
"I don't know." Ash grimaced. Red could've at least confided his plan to them. Now he'd have to go in without Ash's support, as he couldn't join the fight with Serena beside him, not to mention Clemont, Bonnie, and their other pokemon alone.
"Merde!" Ash frantically looked around until he saw groups of Crown Tundra mercenaries leading the townspeople to safety near a series of caves.
"Serena, I'll have to drop you off there, then go back for the others, then go in to help Red." Ash muttered while sweatdropping alongside Pikachu, Fletchinder, and Charizard.
"Oui." She sighed.
"Heat wave! Air Cutter" Red roared as he and his pokemon closed in.
"Grauuu!" Mega Charizard Y blasted an entire squad of Lysandre's pokemon with his enhanced move while Noibat dispatched a pair of Ninjask that tried to come in.
Drawing his sword, Red lunged down while still on Charizard Y's back and hacked at any Lysandre man-at-arms in reach, overcoming their armor with a combination of ferocious tenacity and anti-armor techniques.
"Lang may yer lum reek!" A Crown Tundra mercenary cried before nearly collapsing from exhaustion, having barely survived the onslaught of the Lysandre soldier he'd been fighting before Red intervened.
"Lady Korrina, where's lady Korrina!" Red cried out in utter desperation as he raised his visor and tried to find her. But alas, she was nowhere to be found.
"They took her." One of the soldiers grimaced, and Red went pale, nearly losing the strength to remain on Charizard Y's back.
"Grauuu!"
"Noi!" Charizard Y and Noibat both nudged Red to try and snap him out of his trance.
"Keep the heid! This fight's not over yet, sir!" One of the mercenaries cried as multiple squads of Lysandre's men/pokemon raced towards them.
Red lowered his visor, barely containing the fiery rage inside him.
"Où est-elle!?" Red snarled louder than a Tyranturm as he and Charizard Y prepared to charge the mass of soldiers. However, an intense Dragon pulse crashed into the ground between them and the approaching soldiers.
"Grauuu!" Ash's Charizard flew down alongside Fletchinder and got in front of Charizard Y.
"T'es en colère!"
"Korrina, they have Korrina!" Ash snarled as he pulled up his helmet's visor to reveal a livid expression.
"Quoi!?"
"Grauu?"
"Pika!?"
"Fletch!?"
"Korrina, she? Gaaah, there isn't time!"
"I don't leave her-"
"You can't help her if you're dead!" Ash roared as he and Charizard seized them.
"Naw, he's right, sir. We'd best be falling back now!" Red trembled as the feeling of helplessness returned.
"Red, we'll find her, I promise." Ash took Red by the shoulder and finally eased him back. The Crown Tundra mercenaries performed a fighting retreat that took them further into route 11 until Lysandre's forces began to overextend themselves and fall back.
"That was too close." The Crown Tundra Company captain exhaled deeply while removing his open-faced helm and wiping some sweat off with a scraggly red beard.
"Ash! Red!" Serena raced from the cave entrance with Bonnie, Clemont, and the other pokemon close behind.
"Runt!" Tyrunt snarled as he tried to chase after Lysandre's troops, only for Lucario to grab his tail.
"Grouu."
"Runt." Tyrunt pouted.
Serena saw Red's pale expression and couldn't ever remember seeing him so terrified and ashamed. He almost trambled as Ash, Charizard, Sceptile and his other pokemon tried to calm him down.
"Red, what's wrong?" Serena asked sincerely while Clemont and Bonnie joined in.
"Korrina, they, they took her." He stuttered, appearing on the verge of tears.
"Quoi!?" All three yelped in confusion.
"Aye, lady Korrina, those bampots did seize the good lady. Right out from under our noses, what kind of mercenary am I, letting me employer get taken like that?" The Captain sighed as his Avalugg tried to comfort him.
"Attendez!? Who are you, monsieur? What's going on here!?" Ash shouted, holding his head.
"Aye, me name's sir Rollo of the Crown Tundra, Captain of the Avalugg Company. Finest mercenaries in the world, well, maybe not anymore after this here blunder." Rollo sighed deeper.
"What are you doing here, and why was Korrina with you?" Clemont asked.
"Well, ya see, we hate the Galar probably more than you lot do. So when we heard that tyrant King Victor invader yer Kingdom. We saw it as an opportunity to make him hurt and earn some money. So I raised me a company of men itching for some payback, and we arrived in Shalour City where Count Gurkin hired us on the spot."
Ash nodded in understanding.
"He hired you to rescue the people of Geosenge town."
"Aye, sir. Lady Korrina insisted on coming with us. She's a spirited one, but the boys and I took a liking to her enthusiasm."
"Korrina." Red gazed off at Geosenge town into the distance, his lament melting away into fiery determination before he turned to Rollow and nearly made the knight tremble.
"Ready your men for battle!"
"Are ya mad, sir!?"
"Red, calm down-" Ash started before his brother jerked away.
"I won't calm down!? How would you react if they had Serena!?" Red realized he might've overstepped but didn't care at that moment.
"Red! Bonnie cried.
Serena went silent and held her heart while becoming lost in thought. The brothers stared at each other for a moment as their pokemon and Clemont watched on nervously.
However, Ash gave ground first and sighed with a look of resignation.
"I'd demand we go right in for her."
"Oui!"
"Now, hold on there! I want to rescue the fair lady too, but attacking them head-on is suicide! Us all gettin killed won't help the lady Korrina!" Rollo objected.
"I know a way to rescue her." Serena said in a subdued tone, taking the group by surprise.
"Quoi!?"
"Serena, what are you talking about!?" Ash almost shouted, particularly when he saw his wife's very anxious expression.
"The citadel, there's a secret entrance through these caves." Serena said while slowly pointing to the entrance.
"A secret entrance! Damn, I wish we'd known about that!?" Rollo cursed.
"Secret Entrance?" Ash sweatdropped a little. He and Red had also spent much time in that Citadel during their training as they traveled with the Royal Family but knew nothing of this secret entrance.
Red, however, didn't care about that and sprinted over to Serena, almost violently seizing his sister-in-law by the shoulders.
"Lead on then! We need to-"
"Attendez!" Ash roared at Red with a fury that actually frightened Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, and his pokemon more than Red grabbing the Princess.
The knight seized his brother and pulled him back with a frenzied expression.
"Serena's not going! Not right into a nest of Lysandre's men!"
Red almost exploded at Ash when he remembered his own proclamation to defend Serena and the Kingdom, which would undoubtedly come to peril should Lysandre get his hands on her.
Red's forehead became drenched in sweat as he stared at the cave entrance. However, now Serena took the group by surprise when she stood tall and grabbed Ash by the shoulders with steel determination as strong as any knight.
"Ash, I'm going to help her!"
"Ehhh! Serena!?-" Ash started.
"Non! Enough of us have lost those they love! I won't let Korrina fall into Lysandre's hands!" She turned back to Red with pure dedication, nearly making him tremble.
"We're getting her back!"
"Serena, merci." He almost teared up. Serena slowly turned back to Ash, expecting him to put up a bigger fight. However, he merely smiled in his usual fashion.
"I sometimes forget how brave you really are." Ash leaned in and gave Serena a passionate kiss, making her blush.
"Il ne peut pas être aidé." Clemont sighed while Bonnie took a proud stance.
"Merveilleuse! Let's go rescue Lady Korrina!" Ash, Red, Serena, Clemont, and their pokemon all turned on Bonnie with identical expressions.
"Non."
"Aww, but I-"
"Non." They said in unison.
"Come on there, wee lass." Rollo chuckled as he waved some of his men over.
"Cormac, take this little lass and the rest of the townspeople through the caves. The rest of you lot come with us. We're going to rescue the Lady Korrina!"
"Aye!"
"Awww, but I-" Bonnie started before Cormac led her into the caves alongside the people of Geosenge Town and most of Avalugg Company.
Rollo and ten or so of his men followed the group, led by Serena, who took them through the glittering caves.
"Awww! So many evolution stones!" Clemont cried as he took in the sparkling crystals around them, contrasting the otherwise dark rocks.
Geosenge town was famous and quite wealthy for its abundance of precious crystals.
"Aye, the Lady Korrina, let us take as many as we pleased on the way here! We're all gonna be rich when we get home!" Rollo beamed as he opened a small purse filled with various evolution stones.
Serena and the others, however, remained focused on their path. It was easy to see how such an entrance remained hidden, for the cave branched over well over a dozen times and often into multiple passages.
Serena, however, remained confident in where she led them, and neither brother doubted her. Red became focused on nothing but his task ahead and hardened into steel, much like the armor he wore.
"Grauuu."
"Kirl."
"Noi."
"Scep." His pokemon tried to assure him.
"Red, we're going to rescue her." Ash added. He came back beside his brother, who sighed deeply.
"...I'm sorry we have to put Serena in danger." Red's guilt weighed down on him from multiple avenues.
Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped a little.
"She's no less determined than we are."
Red gave the slightest hint of a smirk.
"Oui, neither is Korrina. I suppose they're both just a bit different in how they go about it. Korrina can be so reckless." Ash glanced back at Serena for a moment but eased himself. She wasn't rushing into this situation. Of that, he had no doubt.
"Oui, she needs someone to keep an eye on her." Ash smirked at his brother, who didn't resist. Instead, he started to genuinely picture himself alongside Korrina, but that image soon conflicted with the existing one. That of him with his brother.
For the briefest moment, the young knight felt an icy sting of fear in his soul, but it ended as Serena halted them. The Princess stared ahead as if expecting to see someone, and a rush of anguish nearly overcame her.
"Serena." Ash saw this and quickly wrapped his arms around the Princess, who came to the verge of tears before pulling herself together.
"Par ici." Her iron demeanor returned, and she led them into the next passageway, which utterly transformed before their eyes.
"Ahhh!" Clemont, Rollo, and the others lost themselves in the walls of glittering light blue crystal, which lit up from a natural fluorescent.
"Incroyable! I've never seen crystal like this before!" Clemont whipped out his scientific equipment and began studying the walls and columns intently.
Red, Ash, and their pokemon became similarly enamored with the unique and beautiful crystals.
"Ahh! Serena, why didn't you ever tell us about this place before!?" Ash almost shouted.
The Princess's pokemon looked up with consoling eyes when they saw her mournful expression.
Serena reminisced about years earlier when she was just ten years old and walked through a massive crystal chamber with just her Father, Rhyperior, and Fennekin.
"Ahhh! Papa, what is this place!? It's magnifique!"
Alexandre smiled and held her hand tightly.
"This is somewhere very special, Serena. No one is supposed to come down here except those with Capatian Blood."
"Not even mama?"
"Non, mais n'aie pas peur, mon amour. We're not alone."
Serena saw them enter what she could only describe as a great chapel much like the one in Lumiose City. However, this one only had crystal pillars and an altar, all made of crystal.
Serena and Fennekin found themselves in awe of the chapel, their eyes glittering.
"C'est beau! Why can't mama visit!?" Alexandre sighed and knelt down beside Serena.
"Because the Guardian won't let anyone other than a Captian inside, mon amour."
"Guardian?" Alexandre smiled and pointed to the ceiling. Serena and Fennekin yelped when they saw a pokemon staring down at them.
"Yaah!" The little girl and Fennekin nearly jumped into Alexandre's arms as the Guardian leaped down and stood over them with watchful eyes. However, after a moment, he relaxed and bowed his head.
"Vous voyez, he knows you're a Capatian." The Guardian turned to Alexandre and his Ryhperior with a somewhat tenuous and frustrated look, making the King sweatdrop while Ryhperior gave him a smug expression.
"Je suis désolé, it's my skill is with rock pokemon. It's not that I didn't want you beside me." The Guardian let out an exhausted huff before leaping back onto the ceiling.
"How long has he been down here?" Serena asked.
"A long time, mon amour. It's his duty to protect this place and our family."
"He's amazing! I'll bet Ash and Red would love to see him, and this place-"
"Serena! Vous n'écoutiez pas !?" Alexandre's face turned stern.
"They can't come down here or know about this place. No one can but you, myself, and your cousin Calem."
"But papa."
"Serena, promise me you'll never tell anyone about this place!"
"Oui, papa."
Ash saw tears escape Serena's face as she clenched her eyes shut.
"Je suis désolé papa."
"Serena, what's wrong!?" Ash quickly took her by the shoulders, but the Princess shook him off and regained determination.
"Par ici!"
Serena led them further inside and to several branching corridors, where her eyes widened upon seeing the aftermath of a fight. Blood, bits of metal, and deep scratches on the walls made the rescuers pause.
"Good Reduka, did someone get here first?" Rollo asked. Ash, Red, and the others were similarly baffled, while Serena alone understood what this meant.
"They found the chamber, the Guardian."
"Quelqu'un est ici!" Someone shouted from one of the corridors, and moments later, a squad of Lysandre's knights/men-at-arms raced towards them, weapons drawn and pokemon beside them.
"En Garde!" Red snarled, lowering his visor and charging straight at Lysandre's men, his pokemon close behind. Rollo and most of his men joined in while Ash threw himself in front of Serena.
"Revenir!" He snarled while bashing back a knight's hammer and striking back with his sword pommel.
"Pika!"
"Grouuu!" Ash's pokemon quickly joined in with Charizard, similarly placing himself between Charla and the attackers' pokemon.
"Char!" She beamed before Fennekin and Pancham both growled, reminding her that now wasn't the time for that. Serena backed up slightly, doing her best to remain calm even with a horrible mixture of fear and rage from Lysandre's men entering her family's sacred dwelling. Just then, more of Lysandre's soldiers suddenly raced in and assured the battle's outcome.
Three of Rollo's men fell and Ash barely managed to overcome his opponent, bashing the knight's head with his buckler then sword pommel, bringing him down.
"Fall back!"
Four of Rollo's men led Serena down one of the hallways as she reached out for Ash.
"Ash!"
"Get her to safety!" Ash commanded while he and Rollo went down another hall, then Red and the remaining soldiers another.
Ash, Rollo, and their pokemon only managed to escape when Avalugg threw up several icy barriers, temporarily stopping the pursuers.
"Well done Avalugg, am pure done in." Rollo panted heavily whole almost doubling over, holding his knees.
Ash similarly tried to brace himself against a wall but almost fell over when his hand went straight through.
"Quoi!" Charizard and Lucario managed to steady their trainer before all of them realized that he'd accidentally put his hand through a series of cell bars.
"A prison cell? Lady Korrina, are ya in there!" Rollo cried.
Ash and his pokemon looked into the cell but saw it wasn't Korrina, rather a pokemon.
"Eh?"
"Pika?"
The Greninja raised its head just enough to see Ash and his team before violently pulling at the chains holding his arms in place.
"Gre!"
"A Greninja? What's he doin in a cell down here?" Rollo muttered.
Ash had no idea, but he saw a series of injuries across the Greninja, old and new, meaning he must've been who fought in the corridor earlier. That might've explained why Lysandre's men locked him up, but it didn't explain what brought him to the crystal chambers.
"Pika Pikachu?" Pikachu asked the Greninja, who didn't respond, making him sweatdrop. Ash, however, already made up his mind and refused to sit by.
"Pikachu, get those chains off him."
"Pika!" Pikachu managed to squeeze through the bars and smashed both sets of chains with iron tail, freeing Greninja. At the same time, Charizard and Lucario smashed apart the bars.
"Sois libre, we-" Ash started before the Greninja leaped forward, slamming Ash onto his back and shoving a blade-arm against the knight's visor.
"Grauu!"
"Grouuu!"
"Pika!"
"Runt!"
Ash's pokemon all tried to get Greninja off, but he shoved his blade up tighter in clear warning.
"Gre!"
"Oh boy, he's a bit crabbed this one." Rollo muttered.
Ash held both hands up as he stared at the Greninja's face through his visor.
"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you." Ash assured the Greninja, who continued to stare at him. Despite his precarious situation, the knight remained calm and slowly raised his hand enough to pull up his visor.
Ash's eyes met Greninja's, and both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. He couldn't quite explain it, but something about this Greninja felt different than any other pokemon Ash had ever met before.
Pikachu and the other pokemon thought much the same but were too preoccupied with his threatening of Ash to think that much of it. Finally, Greninja slowly pulled his blade back before almost shooting up to his feet.
"Gre!" The Greninja sprinted back down the hallway at top speed, leaving Ash to get up on his own.
"Attendez!" Ash cried, racing after the Greninja despite what just happened.
"Come on now." Rollo groaned as he and the others followed.
In another hallway, Red and four of Rollo's men fought off a squad of Lysandre's men that followed them.
"Vas-Y!" Red snarled. His sword rang loud after clanging against an opposing knight's blade. Unfortunately, Lysandre's knight parried Red's next strike and landed a crushing blow into his chest that sent him staggering back into a wall.
Red gasped for breath and almost felt his breastplate cave in slightly.
"Mourir!" The Kalos knight roared as he grabbed the tip of his sword and tried to smash Red's head open with a murder stroke. Moving fast, Red sidestepped and threw his buckler forward in a punch, crashing it into the side of the man's helmet.
"Merde!" The knight groaned while holding his throbbing head. Acting fast, the royal knight bodyslammed the slightly larger knight and, with a swift leg sweep, brought his foe down and stuck a dagger under his visor.
Unfortunately, this success was short-lived, for a man-at-arms raced towards Red from the other end of the hallway and very nearly delivered a punishing kick to his head.
Red sprung to his feet and barely avoided the strike. He moved his buckler down and deflected the tip of a polearm weapon. However, this movement gave him a key opening, which he quickly exploited, thrusting his sword tip forward and through the man-at-arms half-helm eye slint.
He convulsed but for a moment only, and Red pulled his weapon free, panting heavily.
"Grauu!" Charizard roared as he and Red's pokemon stood victorious over Lysandre's pokemon. The knight looked around and saw all four of his companions lay dead alongside Lysandre's men.
Red took a deep breath and knelt down beside each Crown Tundra soldier, offering his respect and closing their eyes.
"Allez." He sighed before Noibat looked over the body of the man-at-arms Red killed.
"Noibat, don't do that-" Red started before he saw Noibat emerge with a key, mega evolution stone, and Lucarionite in his mouth.
"Eh?" Red knelt down and took them before looking back down the hallway.
"Ça ne pouvait pas être." Red's heart raced as he and his pokemon followed the path until they found two cell doors. Red peered inside the first and saw a very familiar Lucario chained to the walls, covered in bruises and other welts.
"Lucario." Red muttered, his heart ready to burst from his chest. The knight slowly turned to the cell across from Lucario and saw a young woman inside, her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared at the wall.
Red nearly collapsed and braced himself against the bars. Without turning her head, Korrina seized a piece of broken crystal and hurled it at Red, the rock bouncing off his armor.
"I have nothing to say to you, bâtards traîtres!" She roared, nearly making Red and his pokemon laugh.
xxxx (Kisara's theme, yugioh)
"Vraiment, is that how you greet your chevalier in shining armor?"
Korrina went still for a moment in disbelief of whose voice she'd just heard.
"Eh" She muttered, a tear in her eye. The cell door slowly opened, and Korrina slowly turned to see Red standing before her, his helmet raised. The noblewoman didn't speak, instead, springing to her feet and leaping into the knight's arms.
The two shared a long and passionate kiss, both feeling their senses dance in a fiery passion as they held each other.
As this happened, Red's pokemon chuckled while Sceptile took the key and entered Lucario's cell before slashing the chains apart.
"Grouuu." Lucario growled with an appreciative smile.
"Tile."
"What are you doing here!?" Korrina almost laughed, her face still pressed against Red's.
"What does it look like, rescuing you. Allez, let's get out of here." Red said as he handed Korrina her Mega evolution stone, making her beam even brighter before the noblewoman gave him another long kiss.
"Merci!"
"Uhh, guys, we need to get going!" Clemont muttered.
"Oh, Clemont, I almost forgot you were there."
Serena and the four Crown Tundra soldiers slowly moved ahead in another hallway, keeping a watchful eye for any of Lysandre's men.
"Where are we, me lady?" One asked while Serena regained her bearings.
"We should be close to the chapel, I-" Serena froze as they entered the main chapel. Her face went pale as she stared at a single figure looming before the altar, staring at it with a Pyroar beside him.
Serena's pokemon mirrored her expression, save Charla, who looked slightly confused.
"Char?" Serena almost passed out and felt her body tremble as she looked at none other than Duke Lysandre.
"Is that?" One of the mercenaries started.
"The Duke Lysandre! Imagine what the Dauphin would give us if we killed or captured him! Come on, fellas, let's get rich!"
"Non!" Serena reached out for them but was too late. All four mercenaries and their pokemon charged straight for Duke Lysandre, who stood in his black armor.
Serena covered her mouth and barely contained her screams of terror when she saw Lysandre pull his sword free and brutally slaughter the four Crown Tundra soldiers while Pyroar did much the same to their pokemon.
Blood splattered across the chamber, and Lysandre sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened.
"Char!" Serena, Fennekin, and Pancham all frantically covered Charla's mouth and threw themselves against the wall. Lysandre and his Pyroar glanced back in their direction as the Princess and her pokemon trembled, hearts racing like Rapidash.
Pyroar sniffed the air and Lysandre narrowed his eyes.
"Mon Seigneur! Mon Seigneur!" One of Lysandre's soldiers raced inside the chamber with a frantic expression.
"Mon Seigneur, we have intruders-" The soldier only then saw the four dead mercenaries at Lysandre's feet and sweatdropped.
"Ahhhh, you know." The man shook a little as Duke Lysandre stared into his eyes.
"I understand a letter arrived for me?"
"Oui, monseigneur. From King Victor, it appears the Dauphin and his Duke supports are giving him much trouble in the northeast. He requests our immediate assistance."
Lysandre stared back at the altar as if the soldier hadn't spoken.
"La clé, where is la clé." The soldier's sweating got worse, and he began hyperventilating.
"There is still no word, monseigneur. Our forces have searched the estate from top to bottom, rien."
Lysandre kept his soldier in a nerve-rattling silence for almost a minute.
"Bring me the prisoner. I wish to speak with him again."
"Oui, monseigneur!" The soldier shouted, eager to getaway. Serena saw him approach and quickly ran with her pokemon.
"Quoi? Who's there!?" The man growled upon seeing them flee. Serena ran as fast as she could, but Pancham started to lag behind, and she had to pick him up.
"Arrêter!" The man-at-arms roared, drawing an ax as he closed the distance. Serena became so fixated on getting away she didn't even realize they passed a cell when Fennekin tripped.
"Fennekin!" Serena and Charla stopped to help her when they saw the soldier loom over them, his ax raised.
"Gotcha-" Serena yelped when a massive hand extended from inside the cell and seized the soldier's head before slamming him into the bars. Had the man not been wearing a helmet, the blow might've killed him, and instead, it merely knocked him out.
Serena wanted to exhale in relief but now felt a new terror overtake her and her pokemon as they slowly turned to the cell itself.
"Bonjour?" She almost whispered. The cell remained silent, but all four saw a figure sitting inside. He was without a doubt the largest man they'd ever seen, looking almost nine feet tall with a somewhat lanky body, very wor clothes, and knee-length white hair.
His skin was so pale that one could be forgiven for mistaking him for a ghost, and yet Serena could tell there was something else very off about him. It was almost indescribable.
"Cham!" Pancham tried to back away, but the man didn't even look in their direction.
"Uhh, merci." Serena muttered, unsure of what else to say. Still, the man remained silent and continued to stare at the wall.
"Who, who are you?"
"Nobody." His voice was deep and icy as if an ancient lament lay deep within his very soul.
"Why are you here?" The man remained silent, but Serena refused to leave him at Lysandre's mercy and began searching the unconscious soldier for a key.
"Te voilà!" She cried victoriously upon finding the key.
"Hold on. I'll get you out!" Serena felt the key turn and pushed the cell door open, yet the man remained still.
"Allez! We need to go!"
"Fen!"
"Char!"
"Cham!" The man ignored them and continued to stare at the wall.
"S'il te plaît! They're coming, we-" Serena yelped upon feeling someone grab her from behind.
"Qui es-tu!?" One of Lysandre's knights roared as he held Serena, two soldiers beside him. Serena's pokemon tried to help, but the guards' pokemon attacked first, knocking them back.
"Qui es-tu!?" The knight snarled again before hearing a series of lightning-fast strikes followed by several bodies hitting the ground.
"Quoi?" He turned just in time to see the flashing of blade strikes across his armor in a fury of light.
"Gre!" Greninja now stood over the knight and retracted his arm blades.
"Greninja, it is it!"
"Fenn!"
"Gre!" Greninja wrapped his arms around Serena tightly as tears filled her eyes.
"Tu m'as manqué." The man finally looked over and felt his eyes widen upon seeing Greninja and how he hugged Serena.
"Est-ce que ça pourrait être?" He muttered.
"Serena!" Ash and his team raced across the hallway before they saw her hugging the Greninja.
"Quoi?"
"Gre!" Greninja drew his arm blades and took a defensive stance in front of Serena.
"Ash! Greninja it's ok, he's my husband!"
"Gre!?"
"Quoi?! Serena you know him?"
"Oui, it's a long story, and we don't have time." Serena ran over and embraced Ash. Seeing this made Greninja relax slightly and retract his blades again.
"Come on then! We need to go!" Rollo shouted. Serena nodded.
"Ash, Lysandre's here."
Ash and his pokemon froze, their faces turning pale.
"Où?" The knight snarled as fiery rage erupted across his face.
"Non! Ash, now's not the time!" Serena cried.
"She's right. We'll be slaughtered if we stay!"
"We must go." Ash, Rollo, and their pokemon jumped when they saw the giant emerge from the cell and loom over them.
"Gre!" Greninja leaped in front of Serena again and drew his blades while staring at the man with the same fiery rage Ash felt.
"Greninja, what's wrong?" Serena asked, but he remained silent. The man sighed as unmistakable guilt racked his expression.
"There's no time. We need to leave, now."
"Who are you?" Ash asked with a suspicious look.
"AZ, call me AZ."
Ash and his pokemon still weren't comfortable with the giant before them, especially with the way Greninja looked at him but knew he was right.
"Allons-y." The group moved down the halls with a sense of purpose, and Greninja purposely kept himself between Serena and AZ.
"Ash, princess!?"
"Ahh, perfect timing!" The group turned to see none other than Red, Clemont, and Korrina with their pokemon.
"Lady Korrina!" Rollo laughed.
"Captain!? Grandpa was right. You were a good investment!"
"Always!"
The group finally got back to the caves and stopped for a breather.
"That was too close." Rollo panted, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
"Korrina, tu vas bien?" Serena asked, placing her hands on Korrina's shoulders.
"Oui, I am now!" She beamed while hugging Red tightly. Serena, Ash, and Clemont all chuckled a little seeing the two embrace each other.
"Not to be a killjoy, but we can't stay for long. We need to catch up with the others and get back to Shalour city." Rollo said, earning nods from the group.
Greninja and Ash both looked back at AZ, who walked in the other direction. By the time Serena noticed, he was gone.
"AZ-" The Princess reached for him, but Ash and Greninja both pulled her towards their destination. The knight and Guardian exchanged glances as they did so, both equally intrigued by the other.
Author's note
Yep big chapter, but I really didn't want to split it
AZ, Korrina, and Greninja
Also I thought Kisara's theme would be a good fit for Korrina and Red moments considering I choose Kaiba's Japanese voice for Red :)
Also the crystal chapel is heavily inspired by the underground Chapel from Attack on Titan, which again is a bit fitting considering I chose Eren's Japanese voice for Ash :)
Needless to say, I have plans for Greninja, and you may want to consider if this particular Greninja has already been referenced in the story, but where? I'll let you guys figure it out :)
So until next time,
Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)