Episode 10: Dinair, Demon of the Stars! Kristen's Secret Revealed?
Leos slowly opened his eyes, only to cough and shut them immediately. A cloud of dust smothered everything around him even though the destruction of the temple had stopped. At least he could hear other Pokémon now. From the whimpers of the smaller Pokémon to the growls of his teammates, it sounded like there were no casualties so far.
"Leos!" Griselle squeaked, and he dared to look around again.
The dust had cleared, and things returned to the pleasant day of earlier. With all the fallen pillars and broken stone around him, Leos got the feel of being in an old ruin, rather than a temple where two Pokémon had just gotten married. He got to his feet and began to survey, but Griselle jumped on him.
"Gr-Griselle—" he gasped.
"Oh thank goodness you're okay!" she cried and nuzzled him. "Er, you are okay, right?"
"Yes yes I am, nothing hit me. But you, are you okay?" he replied. "I er, I couldn't think straight with how sudden everything was. Was that an earthquake?"
"Use your eyes, Leos! That was an attack from gods knows who!" Rune growled as he stood up.
"An attack? But why?" Leos muttered, turning to the rubble. He warily climbed it to peek over, where he got a good view of the town. Three airships were right at the back, while a small army of Pokémon had gathered into a formation on the road to the temple.
This was definitely going to turn into a battle, the same kind from the war that he was used to. He surveyed once more, and felt confident at the sight of his parents, Griselle's parents, Prem, Laurent, and Team Shooting Star, Prem's rescue team. His chest churned at the sight of other members of the public, though. Pokémon he hadn't seen before, including children, sat cowering in huddles.
"What are they doing here? I thought only close companions were allowed into the temple?" Leos asked.
"They must have ran in during the panic. The attacks came from back there, after all," Rune said.
"They were getting attacked, so they ran into the collapsing building?" Griselle questioned.
"I'm sorry!" a Mightyena cried, Griselle seemed surprised. "My son snuck in earlier, and I had to find him…"
"Oh. Great. You wanted to bite my tail again, didn't you?" Griselle slumped. One of the Poochyena nodded, so she walked over.
The family were surprised but afraid, especially the little child. Mightyena stepped between them and bowed her head. "I'm sorry. Truly, I'm sorry! Please don't bestow royal justice upon us, I promise he didn't mean it. Spare my child!"
"I'm not gonna scold ya. I know what it's like to want to eat everything," Griselle admitted, and scratched the back of her head. She forgot about the fascinator and removed it, letting her fur flow out of place. "This isn't the time for this, though. We're about to get attacked by an unknown enemy."
"What are you going to do about it?" Mightyena gasped.
"My husband is the commander, here. If you don't want to get hurt, then you need to do exactly as he says. If you have any pride, now is the time to put it away, otherwise you will get hurt. Do you understand?" Griselle instructed. There was another moment of surprise, but the dark types weren't cowering anymore. The child nodded to her, and with their own look of determination, the mother copied.
"That goes for the rest of you, too. I'm sorry, but this is an unprecedented battle," Ariala announced to the other Pokémon.
"Show's all yours, Leos. Time to do what you do best!" Griselle called.
Most of the Pokémon are hooded and robed, but bipedal and wield staves. They came from airships, so that rules out the Ghost Gang or stragglers from the war, Leos thought. He shook his head. Focus, Leos. It doesn't matter where they're from. All that's important is they probably want us dead. If they advance on us, the children are going to get trampled for sure.
"This is unusual. I don't recognise those airships. The Faernian army should be the only Pokémon that have airships," Ariala said in worry.
"Those are Constellar airships," Prem informed, getting everyone's attention. "They've had those for years. They were salvaged from wreckages and then repaired by former Faernians who joined the Constellars. They were only there for defence, though."
"But why would Constellars attack the capital? Especially on the day of the royal wedding?" Ariala asked.
"Better question is, how did they get this far with no notice? We had security set up around not just the town, but the country border. Yet none of them even sent a warning," Rune growled.
All good questions. It goes without saying that they're opposed to the marriage… wait a minute, Leos gasped. "Rune by any chance, was it Kristen who set up the security?"
The Dewott exchanged serious glances with Ariala. "A lot of this wedding, in fact. She's an exceptional planner, as you know."
Kristen… you're that opposed to me marrying a hybrid. Too bad though, it's already happened, Leos grumbled, and clenched the rock he was leaning on. His marriage bracelet glowed briefly. "That makes this a lot easier to deal with, though. Kristen's obsessed with patterns and timing, they're all over her plans. So we need to hit them hard, fast, and now. Do we have weapons?"
"Never leave home without it!" Rune raised his sword high.
"You brought your sword to your son's wedding?" Ariala asked.
"You brought yours, too." He folded his arms.
"That's because I… we royalty must be able to defend ourselves at all times," she blushed.
"Then there you have it," he smirked.
"They'll come at us from the same road, split down the left and right. If we split into two evened parties and rush down the middle, we can wall them and push back. So that's you two and Griselle's parents. Me, Griselle, and Team Shooting Star will take the other side. Special attackers stay centre, physical on the outside. Form a circle and advance when the enemies are knocked down," Leos explained. He turned to Mightyena and the other Pokémon. "All of you, stay out of sight within the temple ruins. If an enemy shows up, all of you fire your attacks at them at once. If not, you must stay safe and hidden until an Erinian soldier comes to you, okay?"
"Understood!" They all nodded or saluted.
"Okay, but what do we do about—" Leos asked, but cut himself off. Griselle and her parents had their weapons too, as did Prem. "… Did everybody seriously bring blades to my wedding?"
"To be fair, I didn't know Mama and Papa brought mine until now," Griselle said, brushing her dress.
"Can you really blame us? I'm sure there's still thousands of Pokémon that want us, or at the very least me, dead," Vincent pointed out.
"… I'm sorry it has to be this way. I swear it, one day you won't have to live in fear," Leos replied. He faced the town. I have no idea who's waiting for me there, but if it really is Kristen…
"I'm leading. Stay close and stick to your positions, now," Rune ordered, and leapt over the pillars in front of them. The sound of swords smashing against each other took everyone by surprise, and they jumped up to look.
There were enemy right behind the fallen pillars, and Rune held two of them back with his two scalchops and Razor Shell. Leos didn't get much more of a look than that, his impulse threw him into action. He jumped up high and formed his own Razor Shell, and then dove straight down towards the enemy on the left. He could feel Griselle's weight beside him as she did the same, only she aimed for the right.
The two of them missed as the enemy Pokémon broke away from Rune. Leos finally got a glance behind their hoods, identifying an Heliolisk and a Kirlia. "Duck!" he cried.
Rune and Griselle crouched with him, avoiding a Psybeam and Charge Beam from the two enemy Pokémon. Both beams were at similar enough angles that they passed and hit the Kirlia and Heliolisk that fired them, stunning them. Leos and Griselle sprung right into action there, and whacked them with their weapons so hard the enemies were thrown to the floor.
"Whoa. Nice work," Rune praised.
"Don't let them reach the temple!" Leos ordered, but he had no need to be worried. Prem's Thunderbolt dealt with two other hooded soldiers, while Vincent and Nier dealt with the rest. "Formation, now. Let's push them back!"
"Hee hee. I love it when you get into this, soldier!" Griselle commented as she stood back-to-back with him.
"Pardon the cheeky comment, but I'm surprised you haven't lost it. With the way you worried about me on our date, I thought you'd gone soft," Prem added with a cocky smile.
"I can't forget things like this," Leos replied, jogging with him.
"That's it? I thought you'd at least say something a little heartfelt for me," Prem joked.
"I… huh? Is now really the time for that?" Leos gasped. They reached the foot of the temple and were confronted by a wave of hooded Pokémon. The toughest were Scrafty, and the weakest were Beautifly.
"I'm just teasing you," Prem sighed. "You know how it is. We're always fighting, so now's always the time for that."
"Yeah, it's nothing new. Just Leos things, right?" Griselle added.
"Yes, there is no need to be the serious!" Laurent giggled.
"I'm really that boring now, huh?" Leos rolled his eyes. "Please just make sure you don't get hurt. Especially not on today of all days."
"It was always my job to keep you safe. Us being married just makes me turn that up to a million," Griselle stated. She patted her belly and then posed with her lance. "I've had my fill, I'm well rested, and I just had a dream come true. It'll take more than an army to stop me when I'm in this mood. Come at me!"
At the far end of town, the trio of Constellars watched the conflict from atop their airship. The Zorua in the middle stepped right to the edge of and knelt down with a smirk. Leos' strategy was working flawlessly, and the group were forcing their way through the army towards them.
"You were right. For a sick Oshawott, he is stronger than he lets on," Zorua praised. They stood up on their hind legs as if they were born to, and folded their forelegs as if they were arms. "Likewise, he read your strategy like a book. For a such a small group, they're defying all the odds and tearing through our ranks."
Kristen didn't want to reply. She knew that Zorua's snide look. She knew she had messed up irrevocably, and so did they, yet she was being forced to watch this. Anything she said now would only dig herself deeper into this horrible hole of guilt. As if recognising that, Zorua turned to her and swayed their head cheerfully.
"We should greet them. It would be rude if we didn't," Zorua proposed.
"I know this is backwards to say, but I hope we get to see my darling Prem again. I've missed him more than words can suffice," the Mimikyu mused, hanging the head of her hood.
"If I win, you may get the intimacy you desire. You as well, Kristen," Zorua promised. Kristen made a bothered grunt as she feigned respect. "Why the long face? This is what you wanted, right? Your 'justice'."
The Clefairy couldn't hold in a gasp, and held her chest.
"Unless you were lying? It would be treason to back down now, would it not?" Zorua continued.
"I… I don't think we can win. I misjudged my strategy. Leos knows me too well," Kristen replied, slightly panicked.
"A valid judgement of how close you two were, yes? Cunning Pokémon are as especially dangerous in battle. It's unlike you to make a mistake like that," Zorua commented. "But all the more reason we should pool our strengths together and confront them."
"Lady Dinair, you won't win against all of them. It may be best to retreat and plan our advance another day," Kristen begged. The Zorua's smile turned into a frown for a moment, but promptly returned to a sinister smirk.
"And waste the efforts of our hard-working followers? They've given their all for your sake, you know," Dinair rebutted. They stepped to the side of the ship. "We do this, we do this properly. We fight like Pokémon."
Kristen gulped. That smile said it all. Dinair was only like this when they were twenty steps ahead of the enemy, and that's what made it so frustrating. Why was she the enemy? This whole thing could be brushed off in private, and yet this bipedal weirdo of a Zorua was intent on dragging guaranteed failure into the mud where it hurt.
With an upbeat wave and a sunny smile, Dinair waved as they leaned off the edge of the airship, where they dove into a freefall. Mimikyu laughed excitedly as she dove off with them, leaving Kristen to squeeze her chest in illness. Somehow, things would be even worse for her if she didn't follow them, even though she could easily highjack the airship and flee right now. With a hop and a skip, Kristen was right behind her allies.
Before reaching the ground, Dinair flipped so they were upright and threw their arms to their sides, letting their skirt flutter like a parachute. The odd action made them float just above the floor, complete with a strong gush of wind that blew away dust and rocks nearby. Leos and his group had just arrived at the spot where she landed, and had to shield themselves from said wind.
"It's Dinair!" Prem gasped.
"That Dinair?" Leos asked.
"No mistake. No other Pokémon is capable of magic like that," Prem remarked. His team posed ready for battle around him, including Laurent who pretended to throw punches in threat. Prem had to pull Laurent back and hissed at them.
"You seem to be aware of who I am already, but allow me the honour of introducing myself correctly anyway," Dinair stated, and bowed. "I am Dinair Aska, High Lord of the Constellars. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"So formal for someone who just tried to crash a wedding. Does that win you favours back home?" Rune replied.
"It would never win me any favours in general, but still I must exercise formality. It is my code of honour," Dinair answered.
"If you truly are prepared to talk business, then tell us why you're here," Ariala said, standing straight. There was a pause as Dinair stood straight and proper, too. Somehow, the Zorua didn't appear the slightest bit strange for standing straight. In fact, Leos felt they looked as dignified as they sounded.
"It's to see my darling Prem. It's been two years, I thought I'd never see you again!" Mimikyu squeaked as she came forward.
Prem slumped. "Urgh, great. You're here."
"Am I too late? Are you hitched already? If not, I'm right here. I want to talk and catch up after so long!" Mimikyu cried.
"Rosie," Dinair said. The Mimikyu instantly silenced and slithered back, but not without a flirty wave at Prem.
"I'm free after, so just come by," Rosie giggled.
"Your Highnesses, your son has disrespected the Constellars to a frightening degree, one that we cannot stand by or hope to agree with," Dinair began. "After coming to a proposition with lending you one of our brightest in Priestess Kristen, Prince Leos has deflowered her at a time as crucial as this."
"De… flowered?" Laurent tilted their head while the others' eyes widened.
"What the?" Leos gasped and shifted away.
"And to let her go as if your actions mean nothing. Dare I say, I had not expected your kind to stoop to such levels," Dinair finished.
"Wa-wait a minute. What the heck are you talking about? I've never gone near her in that way!" Leos objected. One look at Kristen and he could feel the turmoil seeping off from her. "What is this? Is this your idea of revenge for sending you away?"
"Now I'm not accusing you since I don't really know what you're up to when you're away from the castle, but what exactly happened between you two?" Rune asked. Leos growled. "You didn't want to talk about it before, but if it's causing this, then it's serious business."
"If Leos had mated with somebody in secret, I doubt he'd be able to keep it a secret," Griselle stated. "This has to be some kinda sick setup!"
"I wouldn't even- ugh," Leos slapped his forehead. "I dismissed Kristen because she wouldn't accept that I'd chosen Griselle. She doesn't consider hybrids Pokémon at all, and I'd had enough of that. She called you a freak of a nature."
"Oh," Griselle replied.
"Is that so?" Dinair said. There was another pause. "And Priestess Kristen? How much of what they claim is true?"
Kristen couldn't reply. She was too busy scrunching herself up grinding her fangs.
"As you might guess, this is a very difficult situation for a female to deal with. You can't blame her for being troubled," Dinair shrugged. "I personally don't believe that diplomacy will suffice, either. Pokémon in high positions such as ourselves, royal or otherwise, are privy to more underhanded actions that anyone can imagine. Any one of us could be lying for some greater purpose."
"Daddy, I do not get what she is saying," Laurent complained. "She uses all the big words!"
"They, Lau. Dinair isn't a he or a she," Prem corrected.
"That is even more the confusion!" Laurent cried. Prem gave them a look, and they stopped. "Eep! I'm sorry Daddy!"
"I'll forgive them since they're a child. You had best teach them well," Dinair said. They tipped their skirt, and a sword emerged from inside, stabbing straight into the ground. There was no way the sword fit beneath Dinair's skirt like so, but it was real, picked up and swung like any real weapon. "But that's why I'm here. To assess this new king of Etheria and right the wrongs myself. If you truly did what Kristen has said you have done, then you will face Constellar justice."
"I do not hold it against you for coming at us with all this," Ariala sighed as she produced a bladed fan from inside of her clothes.
"Mother!" Leos cried.
"I am not saying I don't believe you, Leos. But this is a very delicate issue. Clearly, the only way to see reason is to enforce it," Ariala stated. Everyone else stood ready for battle as well. "Kristen, this act makes you an enemy of both countries, I hope you do understand that."
Kristen grunted again. She couldn't even look in their direction, and staggered back.
"Disproving of the royal wedding isn't a crime, but acting upon that is. Look at what your actions have brought on. None of this is right!" Rune added.
"You are addressing me. Scolding someone when they're down, I expected better from you," Dinair raised their voice. "Leos Aska! Show me what kind of monarch you plan to be. Girls, please stand back."
"Are you seriously gonna take us all on at once? Just you?" Griselle gasped.
Dinair answered that with a cocky grin, and raised their sword. The handle was oddly familiar to the Leos – a hilt made out of feathers the spread around, each one a dark and glittery blue. The blade itself was the fantastic part, though. The entire blade seemed to be made out of night sky. All of it was deep, dark blue and black with countless white stars flickering within. As Dinair held the sword close to their chest, that spatial pattern seemed to flow, too. Staring into it was looking at a scrolling backdrop of outer space.
"Leos, move!" Prem freaked out and pushed him over.
Dinair raised their sword high, and a dark laser fired from the tip faster than the eye could follow. The beam exploded and shattered the ground where they just were, leaving a pothole. Dinair growled at them, but never lost their smirk.
"What was that?" Leos gasped as he scrambled to his feet.
"Dinair really is the leader of the Constellars. I never thought someone would be able to receive that weapon," Prem shuddered.
"I prefer the title 'High Lord'. It is more fitting," Dinair commented, and began to raise their sword again. Leos and Prem scrambled to their feet just in time to dodge the laser again. "Ho. You are slippery."
"Ack… that's the Sword of Spatial Elements. It's the divine weapon of the Constellars," Prem explained.
A divine weapon… one-of-a-kind weapons granted to the leaders of our world by the legendary Pokémon. There's the Sword of Earthly Elements which Rune uses, and the Sword of Divine Elements which Ariala uses. I didn't know the Constellars could get one, but that just shows how much Dinair is the real deal, Leos recalled as he got to his feet. He held his Razor Shell tight now, and focused with a frown. If we all jump at them at once, someone's going to get hurt, and that laser does a good job of keeping us distant. Keep it cool and observe, Leos.
Rune was next to attack, and made it right up to Dinair's face. Dinair had no trouble fending off his quick and fluid combo of attacks, but they still had to step backwards to keep space. Just when it looked like Rune had the upper hand, he had to flip backward to avoid Dinair's crescent slash, but got hit by the arc-shaped shockwave that came from it. He stayed on his feet, but coughed in pain.
"Rune, careful," Ariala came to his aid with Heal Pulse.
"They're strong," he admitted.
Dinair kept that cocky grin the whole time, and returned to the same proper pose they had when this fight started. Even when they walked closer, the emotion and focus never shifted once. It was frightening. It felt like Dinair was leagues above the army they had just fought to get here, enough to injure them for sure, even though they were one Pokémon.
"C'mon now. It's rude to stare. You can't be this afraid to attack," Dinair mocked.
Leos frowned and changed to Water Pulse instead. The moment he formed an orb of water, Dinair's smile faded, and they hopped to the side to dodge his initial attack. Special attacks? It couldn't be…
"Look out!" Laurent squealed as Dinair's sword was raised high again, and the group knew to dive to avoid it. This time, Leos rolled to his feet and used Water Pulse as quickly as he could, and his attack hit Dinair square in the chest, sending them to their backside.
With a growl and a scowl, Dinair got back up and strafed the group intently, never diverting their eyes. Leos and the group did the same, but he had already figured out a plan.
"Griselle! Remember our combo?" Leos called out. She was surprised, but nodded. "Do you get it? Then go for it. I'm counting on you!"
Dinair reacted to their quick plan with more lasers, but Griselle skidded side to side to avoid them as she charged toward the Zorua. They quickly engaged in another moment of close combat, Griselle's lance hitting Dinair's blade hard. Dinair stumbled and grunted after every hit, even though Griselle's attacks were blocked, as if there were not expecting Griselle's strength. They eventually retaliated with another crescent slash, but Griselle jumped away in time and blocked the shockwave, too.
"Take this!" Leos shouted. He had a Water Pulse held on each paw and fired them both with trusts, but Dinair dodged them with an easy lean side to side.
That wasn't the end of the attacks, though. Griselle was ready behind Dinair, lance held up high and straight like a baseball bat. She whacked those Water Pulses back at Dinair, surprising the Zorua into getting hit by both. The extra force from the swing sent them to the floor with a cough and a cry. Just as they were about to stand, Rune and Ariala were stood over them with blades pointed at their face.
"Dinair!" Kristen and Rosie cried.
Dinair stared up at the two royals in surprise, and then let go of their sword. The sword vanished, and they smiled, too. "Well done. I wasn't expecting a combination attack. You were a few seconds late on the reaction, though. Had I not been going easy; you wouldn't have the time to pin me like this."
"I wouldn't boast if I were you," Ariala threatened, and pushed her sword closer.
Dinair shut their eyes and sniggered. In a flash, a wave of light washed over the world around them, and all the scenery changed.
"What the?" Leos gasped and stumbled around. Halcandra seemed to magically return to normal, as if there hadn't been an army attacking the whole time. The temple was totally intact, the hooded Constellars vanished, and every trace of damage Pokémon had taken had disappeared. That was except for the battle against Dinair – the indents from their laser blasts remained, as did the dirt marks from Rune and Griselle's skirmish.
"The whole thing was an illusion?" Prem gasped while Laurent spun around in disbelief. The Poipole quickly made themselves dizzy and fell into Prem's arms.
Dinair stood up and brushed their skirt, making Rune growl and poke them with his sword. "Don't bother. I'm done. I concede victory to you."
"High Lord Dinair!" Rosie cried. A simple paw movement from Dinair, and she silenced.
"They say that when two Pokémon fight, they can understand one another. I'm not fond of conflict, so I am surprised to find this is true," Dinair began, and sighed. Rune slowly put his sword down, letting them approach Griselle. "The marriage is already done, isn't it? And you are the female he chose."
"That's… right," Griselle cocked her head.
"I could tell in your attacks. Vague communication, and yet, brilliant teamwork. Your attacks carried the weight of someone who was defending more than themselves, and to strike against that oddly felt… wrong," Dinair explained. "You trust your husband, and you know him very well. That much is obvious."
"Well, yeah. You're accusing him of some pretty serious stuff, you know!" Griselle cried.
Dinair turned to Leos. "And yet, I get a slight sense of confusion from you. You're not completely innocent, are you?"
"In what context are you asking me that?" Leos replied, and then stuck his paws out. "In fact forget it, don't bother. I'm not answering. Just get to your point."
Dinair giggled. "Your wife was right. Had you really done underhanded things with Kristen, you would not be able to keep it a secret even if it killed you. Least of all from me."
Are they being serious? All I did was fire Water Pulse at them. How can they jump to conclusions like this? Leos asked himself. I shouldn't complain, though. It sounds like they believe me now.
"Kristen," Dinair began, and ever so slowly turned to the Clefairy. "You aren't really having an egg, are you? You and His Highness King Leos never even came close."
Kristen made no attempt to hide her struggled thoughts this time. She growled and muttered under her breath, tugging at her bow and nails like her life depended on it. Leos almost felt sorry for her now – her life probably did depend on it.
"You are under oath from the highest positions in the world. The only thing you have to lose is by not telling the truth. Please answer immediately," Dinair commanded.
"I lied, okay? I got furious and desperate, it's basically the same thing!" Kristen cried. "Leos, I did so dang much for you. I stuck with you even when you bullied me for being Prem's replacement. I gave everything to you. You even admitted you liked me; you went out with me despite you saying you didn't want to do the dating game!"
Leos blinked at her.
"I don't understand. Why? After everything, why did you decide that the hybrid was worth more? Everyone's lives would be perfect if you and I joined paws. Why fight for nothing with the hybrid?" Kristen raised her voice. "It's not too late. You and I can still write a new world together—"
"Actually, it is too late," Leos said, holding up his right paw. The marriage bracelet appeared on him and Griselle, and she gasped. "You didn't think about any of this at all though, did you?"
"What was there to think about? You and me together would resolve everything. Your ideal world where all Pokémon regardless of species, type, or ideals has a place… if you joined with me, a high ranking Constellar, that would be so easy to achieve," Kristen cried.
"I was never going to pick a marriage partner based solely on politics. And no matter who I chose, I desperately wanted all three of you to feel like you had a place by my side still. When this whole thing started, you badmouthed Griselle at every chance you could, like she didn't belong. Actually, even before this. You put up with her, but you never treated her the same as any other Pokémon," Leos explained. His glare intensified. "The fact that your reaction to me not marrying you was to lie to your higher ups and try to start a war over it says a lot more about you than you ever let on, don't you think?"
Kristen's mouth hit the floor, but not a sound came out. Her hands twitched as if she wanted to rant, but she could do nothing more.
"That just about words everything I could emphasize. Of all the things to lie about, too… no matter the situation, any Pokémon would be deeply upset with you," Dinair stated. "Priestess Kristen. I hereby relieve you of your title amongst the Constellars."
"Dinair!" Kristen cried.
"You are no longer welcome within our churches as a priestess, or any elevated position within the religion," Dinair announced. Kristen gulped and went quiet again. "When we get back, you will have the evening to organize your belongings. Once you leave, you will be a civilian. Do I make myself clear?"
"Ack… urgh, I-I b-beg you to reconsider—" Kristen stuttered.
"This is non-negotiable." Dinair stated. However Dinair looked now, the Clefairy responded with such terror that it was clear the argument was over.
"Yes, High Lord Dinair," Kristen replied.
"And to answer any of your questions, yes, this whole attack was an illusion. We Constellars owe you a great debt to make up for the trouble we've caused," Dinair said with a bow.
"If you knew Kristen was lying enough to fake this whole attack, why go through with things this far?" Rune asked.
"Several reasons. A good excuse to meet the royals and become acquainted. I understand this whole ordeal, as well as your history with the Constellars, makes this seem like some sort of conflict tactic… but I assure you, I am not interested in any of those things," Dinair explained. They smiled at Leos, who didn't know how to react. "I have always shared your belief about a connected world, but I had no way of ever meeting you. I'm confident that you and Griselle can create a peaceful generation unlike anything Etheria has ever seen. Even if you don't trust me, remember that we owe you a great favour at the very least. We will do everything in our power to assist your request."
"… I'll remember it," Leos replied with a nod.
"That's the best I can ask for," Dinair smiled.
"Dinair!" a posh whine came from above. "What is taking so long? I thought you said there was going to be a battle? This just looks like you are getting all buddy with each other. What is going on?"
"What the?" Prem choked and leaned forward. Another Poipole descended from the airship above, this one dressed in a purple robe adorned with zodiac symbols.
"Deana. There was a battle, but it was resolved quickly," Dinair replied.
"That did not take long. None of you have a scratch on you! But you are a teensy bit smelly and dirty I guess," the Poipole remarked.
"Wait a minute, what's going on? Why do you have a Poipole?" Prem gasped. "Lau, do you know anything about this?"
"I found them in a crater outside the main church recently, and nursed them back to health. I've been researching what I can, but information is scarce. They don't seem to know anything," Dinair explained. "I called them Deana."
"Lau?" Deana put a hand by their mouth. Laurent did exactly the same pose, though they seemed to be a little more wary.
"Er, Laurent. They're a Pokémon called Poipole…" Prem began, but cut himself off after glancing at everyone. "You know what, it would be better if I explained this to you later, if you're up for this discussion."
"A sound call, not doing this here. I've intruded enough, and Deana raises a point. It's time for us to get back," Dinair nodded. "Kristen, Rosie."
"Does that mean my darling Prem's coming with us?" Rosie squeaked.
"Well I lost, so technically no. Keep that attitude up, and I don't think he'll stay around, you know," Dinair giggled.
Is that really it? They didn't make any threats or leave any hints, Leos thought as he watched the Constellars leave. They climbed the rope they arrived on to get back to their airship, which promptly turned to leave. Maybe that's what Dinair meant. From the way they battled, they threatened us, but they didn't use many moves and conceded fairly quickly. It's almost as if they wanted to lose, or to let me know that I can trust them.
"Thank goodness they're gone," Rune breathed out.
"Hmm? Did you notice something?" Ariala asked.
"Call it a fighter's intuition, but I don't think I've ever met such a frighteningly strong base form in my life," Rune shuddered. The others were sceptical. "Just think about it. They alone simulated an entire war battle as an illusion. A team of Zoroark would struggle to do that. And they weren't kidding about the reaction thing."
"I hate to say it, but we cannot trust them completely, yet. It is good to have their proposition open, however," Ariala said.
"Agreed. I'd be pissing myself right now if they wanted a war," Rune hissed. He shook his head and stood up with his paws on his hips. "Well, all's well that ends well. What say we get back and give everyone the good news? We still haven't touched your cake!"
"Really, Father?" Leos groaned.
"Hey, he's speaking my language," Griselle said with a giggle.
"I don't blame you for still being hungry, but are you sure?" Leos gasped.
"There's always room for cake, soldier!" she cheered.
He paused. "Yeah, you're right."
"That's the spirit, boy! We can deal with the politics later," Rune joined in, and then linked hands with Ariala. "And me and you still need to settle the dance floor."
"You're really still on about that? Whose worse at taking a loss, you or Kristen?" Ariala sighed.
"Ouch! Honey!" Rune cried. "Now I'm definitely showing you up."
Leos had to giggle at that. Prem was the only one still facing the distance, so he tapped the Pikachu. "You good?"
"… Yeah. Sorry about that. Lau, you've been eying that cake all afternoon," Prem snickered.
"It looks so yummy! Can I have some now?" whined the Poipole.
"It's up to Uncle Leos, so ask him, not me," Prem folded his paws.
"Hey don't pawn them off on me!" Leos cried. "Auntie Gree gets a say in this, too."
"No, don't remind them of that name!" Griselle playfully smacked him.