Episode 16: The Depths of the Legend
From one mess to the next. That's how things always were. Even when she was staying in the desert to build that village, every day was just a messy situation. What's another life-threatening mess to throw into the pile?
Fighting the Wishiwashi storm and then being thrown into an ocean of black water wasn't unfamiliar – the swimming in the sea part, at least. Or so she thought. What should have happened was the current would throw her and her teammates around, and then when they were deposited in a calmer section of the ocean, she could surface.
A minute in and that hadn't happened. It didn't even feel like there was a current. The Pikachu, Cyndaquil, and Steenee were kept beneath the surface by some magical curse, as if the will of the sea itself didn't want them to ascend. Brine kicked her feet, paddled her arms, even used her powers to geyser herself up, but all she got was pressure as if she was crushing herself against an invisible ceiling. To make matters worse, the surface was getting further and further away, and her chest was beginning to ache. She was running out of time.
For a brief moment, she floated steady to gain her bearings. Ruby and Elise were having the worst of it, with eyes clenched and hands over their mouths, yet bubbles leaked between their lips as they strained and moaned for oxygen. They were so far below the surface that the sunlight was a dull, wavy sphere miles above. Posia was nowhere to be found. If they had any chance of survival, Brine had to do something, and now.
With a growl and a shout, Brine unleashed the strongest water move she could muster, and formed a geyser beneath the three of them. It definitely worked, and yet that ceiling of force that kept them down persisted. A splitting pain surged across Brine's body as a current punched her stomach, while that ceiling crushed her back, and she let out a cry.
A nasty snort and a cough instinctively followed. Panic and anxiety swamped her form as all logic went out the window. She scrambled to fight that current as best she could, still to no success whatsoever. Only when her energy started to give out did she realise, for a Pokémon who was drowning, she was awfully aware.
"What?" she whispered, astonished as bubbles came from her mouth with those words. Her heart raced, but she dared to take a deep breath. Bubbles went in, and bubbles went out. "I'm breathing the water?"
She snapped to Ruby and Elise, where they were coming to the same conclusion. The trio were way out of their element, and yet they were breathing just fine. Brine approached to link paws as their descent continued.
"Did I die already? This has gotta be a dream, right?" Ruby asked.
"Your amulet's still good, so I hope you're not dead. Something cool's happening, that's all," Brine replied. "And now that I look around…"
"This ain't anything like the sea around Van Aken," Elise remarked.
In the distance was terrain one would expect from under the sea. Rocky coral reefs, mossy trenches, and colourful algae, most of which was obscured by the dark distance of the black water. Not a single Pokémon or even as much as a bubble was in sight, telling of a truly dead ocean.
Directly below them however, as the ocean willed them towards it, was another palace. A wondrous set of towers and walls of shapes so alien it was a wonder how it all functioned. It was so deep and rounded in shape that the pressure should have reduced it to ruins, yet unnatural light beamed from the many open slots within the palace grounds. Brine and company landed right in front of the palace gates, a perfect circle in the wall with four doors that opened in four directions. It was wide open for them.
"What's going on? Where are we?" Elise gasped.
"The bottom of the ocean, obviously," Brine answered. She swam up to the doors, and found nothing to be wary of. All she could hear was the light bubbling of distant currents. "Looks like we're being given the grand welcome."
"I've got a bad feeling in my gut," Ruby commented.
"Whatever's keeping us down here, we obviously don't have a choice. C'mon, before whatever this magic that's stopping us from drowning runs out," Brine replied, and then led the way.
"Who died and made you leader?" Ruby complained. The chubby Cyndaquil had no chance of keeping up with her, though.
What is all this? These pillars and walls all have holes and cracks all over them, Brine realised, paying closer attention to her surroundings. There were pillars with windows on them, and orbs and flowers that shone to illuminate the place. However, nothing had any organization to it. The pillars weren't in a pattern, the ceiling and floor sloped and twisted, and the windows looked more like holes that happened to be there.
At least it was tranquil, here. Too tranquil. Specks floated almost totally still, while tiny bubbles audibly rose from cracks here and there. Even though the path was straight and wide, the same as any other royal palace, Brine felt as though she was being directed through a mystery dungeon rather than a fancy building, complete with being watched from all angles.
Another set of doors sat at the far end of the corridor, and through those was an audience chamber. A tall slope of steps welcomed the group, surrounded on all sides by an arrangement of seats like those in an opera house. The seats were all far away enough that they were silhouettes in shades of blue, yet the group could make out the eyes and glows of Pokémon present. Brine was wary, but paddled up the slope.
"There you are. You took your time getting here for those who were so graciously invited," the main Pokémon began.
Sat in a grand throne surrounded by all sorts of random trinkets was a small creature. With a droplet shaped head, stubby arms, and a bag shaped body adorned with a red gem, something about his posh voice and pampered face exuded authority. Even his eyes had yellow spots above them, like some fancy makeup attached to unnaturally straight eyelashes.
"Wait, you look familiar," Brine whispered in concern.
"Do I? I believe I would recognise a Watermarked I have met before. It is only my mandate as ruler of the sea," the Pokémon replied tiredly. They dug through the piles of junk beside them, making the group wary they might pull a weapon. They retrieved a paddle ball instead, and began to play it – a wonder it even worked underwater. "Just call me Manaphy. I don't tend to care for the royal formalities."
So you recognise that I'm watermarked, Brine remained tense. "Is it your magic that lets us breathe water?"
"Something like that. It's more like a rule of my domain, my presence. Putting it in terms peasants would understand: I am so powerful that my mere presence allows a miracle like that to happen. Once you leave this region however, you won't be able to breathe water, so don't try," Manaphy explained. He stopped playing, sighed, and chucked the toy back into the pile. "As long as you are in my presence, you are safe here. I can turn this power off, though! So don't try anything funny. You'll die quicker than you can comprehend under all this water pressure!"
"So you're obviously threatening us for a reason. Was that your Wishiwashi up there?" Ruby scowled.
"As a matter of fact, yes, they were. I've had legions of puppeteer Wishiwashi for decades, but they got corrupted by that legend and became guardians of a Bestia Fountain on the surface. You can't imagine my surprise when Shining Warriors strong enough to beat them finally came along!" Manaphy remarked excitedly. He leaned forward in his throne, and his eyes started to gleam. "Even more surprising that there was not one, but three Watermarked amongst them. Our time of suffering is close to an end!"
"You had better start from the top. I still have a load of questions," Brine cocked her head.
Manaphy sat back in his throne and sighed. "So you three have got to be smart enough to know about the Undine, right? The Pokémon who rule the ocean. My Pokémon."
"You're the ruler of the Undine," Brine shifted back a bit. If she could sweat here, she would be.
"Over the years we've been in hiding, since the Shining Warrior mess started. But when the Pokémon of Heroica started abusing Bestia and my oceans turned black, I knew I had to strike back. Heroica cannot be ruled by Pokémon any longer," Manaphy explained. He rummaged through his pile again, and started admiring the various toys and house décor he picked up.
"That's kinda why we're here. We do all the trials, we bring Bestia back to the world. The sea turns back to normal, yeah? So no need to start a war," Ruby explained.
"And what happens ten years later when the Bestia runs low again?" Manaphy challenged. Ruby growled. "Those power-hungry oafs can't even support the warriors enough to complete the journey in the past fifty years or something. Whoever's ruling them is doing a grand old job of trying to get us all killed!"
"U-um, Your Highness, these Pokémon are trying their best. I can, erm, attest to their devotion to—" Elise shifted forward.
"If they're devoted and all that, then you're all the more reason I need you," Manaphy stated. The group fell silent. "You three are watermarked. No one wants you in this world. Not the Undine, not the Pokémon, and not even the angels who supposedly created us all. You're a living sin amongst the Pokémon and we Undine. Therefore, you have nothing to lose with this proposition."
The group remained silent, but their faces said it all.
"When you do all six trials and earn the Shining Warrior's sword, use it to put all the Bestia into the ocean. Destroy Heroica so that we Undine can conquer it. We can rebuild a realm of peace on its drowned corpse," Manaphy ordered.
"Why the hell would we do that?" Ruby replied instantly.
"Because if you do, I will recognise you as true heroes, and take care of you. You have a chance to forsake your inherent sinful births and become not just citizens of the sea, but be recognised as heroes amongst the Undine. Everything is in your favour," Manaphy explained.
"Am I really a watermarked Pokémon? I don't know what that is," Elise admitted.
"They're half-Undine," Brine turned to her. "Undine are water Pokémon who live in the sea, and Pokémon, the creatures who occupy Heroica. A watermarked Pokémon is born when a Pokémon and an Undine breed. It's normally impossible, but miracles can happen. It's why I have water powers."
"Azu said I might be one, but I wrote her off for it. You're telling me I really am? A half-Undine?" Ruby grumbled.
"That doesn't make sense for me, though. Van Akens don't breed, we are all women grown from seeds planted in the earth," Elise explained.
"Bwahaha! What a farce! That the stories they feed you to keep things PG now?" Manaphy laughed sarcastically. Elise could only blink in surprise. "Oh my, you truly believe it, too. Your mother is quite a sinner. You have a father, Queen Elise. An Undine father who was executed for breeding with a Pokémon!"
"But how…?" Elise whispered.
"By breeding, of course! You can hold your breath for great lengths of time, can you not? That is why Gladys had you explore the Van Aken cave and mine ore there for her. She even married you to a water type Pokémon, knowing that would be the only way for you to conceive. You are a Watermarked through and through!" Manaphy stated. Elise couldn't close her mouth. "Pokémon do not support freaks like you, and neither do we Undine. Frankly, just the sight of you all makes me want kill you all right now. But you are Shining Warriors, and thus, I must support you if I am to support my Pokémon. And so, we have this proposition."
"Like hell we'd do that, though!" Ruby snapped. Manaphy finally went straight faced and started paying proper attention.
"Surely you must know what it's like to live a life where you are discriminated against, yes?" Manaphy asked. "You, overweight Cyndaquil with open eyes, and you, a Pikachu with water powers in a realm where Pokémon cannot use their attacks and abilities."
"What's your point?" Brine replied. She couldn't help speak slowly, however. The words hurt.
"Give it one long, hard, proper think. I can wait for a while," Manaphy swished his hand carefree. "If you guys went and restored Bestia to Heroica, you would still be condemned for who you are. Constant name-calling, Pokémon fearing you and your powers, no friends or others you can truly rely on. Would you really want to return to a pitiful life like that, despite being a hero?"
You're wrong, is what Brine wanted to say so, so badly. Her mind kept saying it, but even deeper, memories played out at Manaphy's words.
"Kill the Heroicans. Give we Undine the Bestia, and save my realm. You will be able to live the remainder of your lives in comfort, treated as true heroes. Return the sea to the natural blue it once was," Manaphy continued.
There was silence for a while. The trio stared at Manaphy, who seemed to be completely unbothered by their appearances. Brine felt sick for even considering this, but it was truly a tasty proposition. After all those years of being the outcast, this guy really wants to give me the hero status? That'd be a comfortable future. I'd love to get back at the jerks who treated me badly. Anyone would, right? And some Pokémon out there actually would do it. But I don't want it that badly. I'm just not one of those Pokémon…
"I don't know what Heroicans are actually like. I've only heard stories, and met this group," Elise began, and floated forward. "Over the past few days, all I have seen are harsh battles and feral violence. I have seen many Pokémon fatally hurt, and even lost my mother. So perhaps it's kinda shallow, but I don't want to see or bring about anymore needless violence or death."
Manaphy seemed surprised, which Elise took to stand tall and proud.
"Creating more suffering will bring nothing! It will only drive surviving Heroicans to more violence and revenge!" she stated. "I am now ruler of Van Aken, and I wish to bring about peace, so I will go by what I know of Heroicans – these Pokémon, the Shining Warriors. They have shown me they can be friends, and want nothing but to save Heroica. It is their choice what to do with the Bestia and I will depend on that!"
"And besides," Ruby came forward with a cheeky smirk on her face. "What happens when we're your so-called heroes, anyway?"
"You'll be accepted as Undine and citizens of my realm. My children, to be direct. You'll live as royalty for the remainder of your lives," Manaphy became bored again. "I suppose not much would change for the Steenee, but for the two of you, there are zero negatives over the lives you currently live."
"Uh huh. And I'm the dumb fat kid who can only think about food and see the next ten seconds in front of me," Ruby replied. Manaphy's eyes narrowed, and some chatter started I the distance. "We'd become your slaves or something. You said it yourself; we can only breathe because we're near to you. If the sea took over Heroica, we'd need to stay near to you forever, or we'd just drown."
Somehow, I didn't think about that. And that's the least of our worries. I'm a normal Pikachu outside of this, I can't imagine what would happen to my body if I tried to live in the sea 24/7, Brine cocked her head.
"Wait, surely you would have a solution to our breathing, right? Ye not going to just kill us after we give you the Bestia, are ye?" Steenee gasped.
"Of course he is. That's exactly the kinda thing a Pokémon would do to a weirdo like me," Ruby replied. Manaphy didn't reply. "So can this crap! What're you really after?"
There was a long pause, disrupted by the gradually increasing chatter of the distant onlookers. Comments could be made out, rude comments, all derogatory the trio had heard before. Manaphy soon ordered silence with a tired sigh, and tipped his head back in his throne.
"So you do have brains in those skulls of yours. You're right, half-breeds like you have no place in Undine society. We would never in a million years accept you as heroes, let alone living things worth the oxygen you waste," Manaphy said.
"But why?" Elise covered her mouth.
"You are completely right, Cyndaquil. You are Shining Warriors; we just want you power. Once we are done with you, we will claim our rightful place as rulers of Heroica, and take back the land just as they stole the sea from us," Manaphy stated. He floated off his throne and approached Ruby directly, backed up the cheers and chatter of the onlookers. "I tried to be nice about it, but this is now a threat. You understand that, right? Follow my orders, or I will drown you all, right here and now. You don't have a choice in this matter!"
"Then do it," Brine pushed her way between the group. Her face was fierce.
"Miss Brine!" Elise gasped.
"We'll never accept this ludicrous plan of yours, so hurry up and drown us. Kill the Shining Warriors and end the journey for a decade more.," Brine replied.
"Do you think you're being brave, half-breed? I don't think you realise just how easy and how painful it would be. The pressure here would grind you to dust in an instant, all while you choke on brine!" Manaphy went even closer. Their noses were touching.
"Funny, it has my name on it. So I welcome the challenge," Brine replied.
The two Pokémon remained up in each other's face, silently snarling and cursing. Brine especially was a single trigger away from abusing Angel to unleash a Thunderbolt right into Manaphy, but held back with closed fists and a stiff form.
"Tsk," Manaphy eventually backed down.
"Because you would lose your precious plan. Us succeeding is the only way to remove the black water. You need us," Brine argued. "So instead of threatening our lives and trying to take advantage to kickstart a pointless war, how about you actually try to help your Pokémon and this world?"
"Why would I help a world filled with selfish creatures like Pokémon and Angels? Angels sit upon their almighty throne behaving as if they are omnipotent saviours, while they do nothing but watch the world decay. And the Pokémon steal our oceans and fight each other for dominance of the land like feral children!" Manaphy argued. "This is a world that is beyond saving. Naïve young things like you will one day realise that. Heroica must be cleansed! Washed away! Reformed into a world in which only dominant species can rule! The Undine!"
The trio spun around as cheers rang throughout the palace, and many lights shone and flickered across the surrounding stands. Brine quickly recovered however, and glared at Manaphy. "Look, you're right. Pokémon are selfish, and goodness knows what the Angels are doing. But do you honestly think that just killing everyone is going to solve Heroica's conflicts? Pokémon aren't draining Bestia from the sea because they want to!"
"How would you know?"
"Because I'm a Watermarked Pikachu! I live on land, while you sit here issuing orders, and I guess some scouts or something report to you. You don't know a thing about what Pokémon are really like!" Brine raised her voice. "I'll save Heroica. And I'll do it without your pathetic, cowardly revenge genocide ideology. If your Undine stand in my way, I'll stop them, too."
"You think you can stop us all from trying to claim our rightful places as rulers of Heroica?" Manaphy challenged.
"That's not my aim," Brine shook her head, and Manaphy went straight faced. "You might think it's petty or impossible, but my aim is to end all this pointless fighting and discrimination. I want to make a world where all of us, Pokémon, Undine, Angel, and everything in between, can live in peace and not have to fight over Bestia. That's why I'm a Shining Warrior. That's what I have the power to do."
There was another lengthy pause, but Manaphy finally raised an arm to silence the audience. He dug into his pile and retrieved his paddle ball, and leaned on the side of his throne to play with it. "It seems we will never see eye-to-eye. I hate childish things like you. Here I am with the power to disintegrate you all in a matter of seconds, backed up my history of suffering, factual evidence of current matters that even you are aware of, and clean motives that serve to perfect this world, and yet you stand against me with a bizarre, no-violence approach."
"I mean, I don't fancy being used as a tool to help your Undine, only to be lied to and drowned just because you don't see me as a living thing. Heck, I didn't ask to be born a Watermarked Pokémon!" Ruby argued.
Manaphy slowed to pay attention to them. "However, I am intrigued how this little game will play out. After all, it has been a very long time since I have had the Shining Warriors in my presence. Therefore, I will play along, and get out of this the best outcome for my Undine."
"You're going to help us?" Elise smiled.
"No, I will not," Manaphy said, and her smile faded. "I will mobilise my armies and prepare for conquest of Heroica. However, we will stay and watch to see the result of your attempt at coexistence."
The group shifted away, and Manaphy stared Brine directly in the eyes.
"The moment your attempts are irreversible, we will begin our conquest," Manaphy stated. He clapped his stubby hands, and a school of Wishiwashi promptly swarmed behind his throne. He then pointed at the group, who were given an instant to lean back before the Wishiwashi swirled around them, creating a gigantic whirlpool.
"Not again!" Brine growled.
She wasn't able to grab hands with the others, and was thrown into a spiralling ascent. She grunted and kicked her body to keep herself upright, barely able to hear the cries and gurgles of the other girls amongst the shrill squeaks of the fish circling them. Dark splotches took over her eyesight too, with small windows to give her glimpses of her friends and the outside ocean.
Before she knew it, dangerous instincts were kicking in. Brine couldn't breathe. She hadn't taken a breath, and was choking on water. The Wishiwashi wouldn't let up however, and kept circling to carry her back up. It took all her might, but she slapped her paws over her mouth and resisted breathing as much as she could, eyes shut as the world started to blur from her.
Before she knew it, the pull from the swarm of fish let up, and she snapped back to reality. Brine and friends were deposited right below the surface in the middle of goodness knows where. To think that just minutes ago they were at the bottom of the ocean in a royal palace. Scratch that thought; she needed to surface. Elise and Ruby were at least on the same page as her. The trio all bounced out of the water at once, coughing and gorging on oxygen.
"Ugh, at least put us back where you found us!" Brine complained. Once she got a hold of herself enough to float, she realised that there was nothing around but scenery for miles in the distance. She was good in the water, but no match for the swim back to Van Aken or the Seafoam Lightworks.
"Uhh, what now?" Ruby asked. The hint of panic only made Brine's heart beat faster. "I can swim, but this is a bit much! You got any fancy swimmin' tricks to pull, now's the time!"
"Why is it so hard to stay afloat?" Elise cried, kicking and splashing about.
It is hard to stay afloat. The black water stops the current, but this is still seawater in the middle of stark nowhere, Brine growled and grunted as she herself had to fight to stay afloat. She could barely keep her head out. "Girls, pull yourselves together!"
"How? If we don't get something good, we really are gonna drown out here!" Ruby spat, trying to shove Brine.
"Get it together, shoutin' at me isn't gonna help!" Brine replied. That made them quiet. "Angel, we kinda need you right now!"
"Thought you'd never ask!" Angel sang. She burst out of Brine's amulet, did a loop in the air, and then landed on top of the water with a graceful bow. "Whatever may I do for you, almighty Shining Warriors?"
"Now is not the time for whatever you're mad about. Go and find the others, and bring 'em to us!" Brine ordered. She paddled over to Ruby and Elise, and linked paws with both. "We need some sort of flare. If I keep you up, think you can cast fire into the sky? Elise, please lend me a hand."
"I'll make your amulet flash when I find them, and that's when you let out the flare. Sound good?" Angel suggested.
"Please hurry!" Brine cried. Angel nodded, and then she was off.
Moments later and it felt like it took forever. Brine's heart raced and her focus was strained. All sorts of anxiety-filled thoughts made her feel heavy enough to fall underwater, making her and the other girls kick their feet to stay up. She breathed so carefully and slowly twisted to look around to try and find the others, or anyone for that matter, who could get them out of this.
I'm a Half-Undine who struggles to swim in the sea. No wonder those Pokémon don't want me amongst them, she realised. I haven't been nice to the other warriors, either. What if they just leave me here? Abandon me like all the others… No, they wouldn't, they couldn't. But they're not here! Surely they would stick around to search for us after we vanished.
"U-um, Miss Brine," Elise spoke up. Brine looked at her, but remained focused on breathing carefully. "This might not be a good time… but I'm glad I met you."
"H-huh?" Brine gasped.
"Ugh, don't start gettin' all sentimental. We're not dying yet, and neither are you," Ruby said. Brine couldn't help but freeze for a moment, and blinked. A moment later, their amulets began to gleam brightly enough to blind them slightly. "And speak of the devil. Let's do this flare thingy!"
Brine still stalled for a moment. She couldn't take her eyes off Ruby. The Cyndaquil had an undeterred focus in her eyes and a cool gleam that seemed to be glorified by her damp fur. She had a short furstyle, but with that excess fur latched to her face and dripping with water, she looked like a tired and experienced hero.
"Brine!" Ruby shouted and snapped her back to reality. Brine nodded.
With a deep breath, Brine swam beneath Ruby and propped her up. Maybe it was the water, but for a chubby Cyndaquil, she was surprisingly light. Able to sit out of the water, Ruby was able to take a deep breath and spit a fireball up into the air. Not long after the fireball crackled in the distance, a yellow flicker caught the group's attention, and they began to make their way.
"It's them!" Elise gasped. The lights of Posia's antennae were the flickering lights, followed by waves and calls from the others. Lucca jumped off to meet them halfway as well, and helped the girls without a word. They all collapsed onto Posia's back, but Ruby was quick to shake herself dry.
"Ruby, Elise!" Shelly cried. "Are you okay?"
"Give them a chance!" Lucca pulled him back.
Good, he's smart enough for this, Brine thanked him in her head. She was more worn out than expected, and panted on all fours. There was enough space on the Lanturn's back for her to lay flat if she wanted. She chose to look up at her allies instead, and almost blushed at their concerned stares.
"I'm okay now, thanks to Brine. This one's got some cool guts," Ruby remarked, and gave her a cocky smile. Brine was surprised. "Ya just kept doin' the right thing. Other than being tired of being underwater right now, no complaints from me."
"R-Ruby…" Shelly shuddered.
"What? I'm just being honest," she shrugged. Now everyone was staring at her, but she only seemed to get it when she spotted Crystal. The Piplup looked like they were about to explore into tears. "Oh. Right."
"I don't know how much more my heart can take… we've really got to stay out of the close calls," Lucca sighed from relief. Mimia barked in agreement.
"Seriously, are you girls alright? We were all worried to death. What even happened back there?" Azu asked. The trio exchanged glances, and all slumped in sync.
…
"So what you're really saying is if Brine wasn't here, you would be in serious trouble," Lucca remarked. "To that end, all of us owe you our lives."
"L-let's not get silly! You guys don't owe me anything," Brine turned away. "Shining Warriors or otherwise, all I did was what was right to do."
"And in a world like ours, that's worthy of praise and favour," Azu remarked. She was deep in thought.
After their explanation, the group set off straight for the Seafoam Lightworks since it was closer than Van Aken. The cone-shaped island was surrounded on all sides by a deep, seaweed green. What looked like a thick jungle of vines cradled the island all the way to its peak, where an unusual structure rested. Brine tried to focus on it, but all she could think about was how much of a pain it would be to climb it.
"Miss Brine… truly, thank you. I was so worried," Shelly added, playing with his paws.
"Alright, lay off already. We're not out of the picture yet," Brine groaned. They're not seriously this concerned about me, are they? They can't be.
"I know that look. What's on your mind this time?" Lucca said.
Azu came out of her thought pose. "It's the whole story. Manaphy, the king of the Undine, wanted to start a war. Just like Gladys."
"It's a coincidence we arrived both times and stopped them both, huh?" Lucca commented.
"It's not that. Remember the story Gladys told us in general?" Azu began. "She mentioned three races, but also, three worlds. If the angels are here in Heroica with the Pokémon, and the ocean counts as its own world where the Undine live, then what's the third world?"
There was a long pause as everyone thought about it, and then Lucca spoke up. "Silly Azu, it's no use trying to think about it when we don't have any more info. They could even be lying to us."
"Is it even important? Stopping them all from fighting and giving the world its Bestia is our goal," Brine added.
"And my goal is to figure out a way to live with Bestia without relying on this legend. So I've got to fully understand this legend and all its parts if I'm to make any progress. If only there was a way I could meet the Pokémon Gladys mentioned, Alver, Varra, and Nebilim. They could probably explain everything," Azu explained, and went back into a thought pose. "For all we know, it could also have to do with the knights and why they seem to be so anxious to kill us."
"They're after Crystal mostly, for some reason. I actually tried to speak to one of them, but they wouldn't answer," Lucca reminded her.
"The knights... The same ones that attacked us in Van Aken?" Brine wondered. "Silver armour, can't really see their fur or faces or whatever?"
"They're the ones. Those pain in the necks have been chasing us all journey!" Ruby complained.
"Why would they want to kill you? They're on Panzer's side. I'm pretty sure she wanted to help the Shining Warriors," Brine asked. She remembered the big speech the Flygon gave when she was in Girage, and the knights that surrounded the stage.
"The heck are you talkin' about? You were there, right? They chased us all outta Van Aken!" Ruby cried.
"I was," Brine nodded. "But now that I have time to think about it, a part of me thinks there could be a misunderstanding. All that trouble started before I got to meet them, after all."
"So you've run into them too? We've had a few encounters, and every time is the same. They just attack on sight. Certainly not trying to help us," Lucca explained.
"They're so scary… I promise I didn't do anything, either. I dunno why they want me so badly," Crystal cried.
"U-um, Azu?" Shelly squeaked, drawing attention to the Azumarill. She looked astonished.
"Panzer? Did you just say Panzer?" Azu asked quietly and slowly.
"Yeah, what about it? I don't know who she is, but she seemed like a pretty big deal. Gave a big speech on a stage in Girage Field while I was there one time," Brine explained sceptically.
"Panzer the Flygon? And she commanded knights? Are you absolutely certain?" Azu asked.
The concern made Brine tense up. "She wore this mystical sash or scarf thing all over her body. Kinda difficult to forget."
"What the hell is going on?" Azu whispered and turned away.
"Go on, honey. Floor's all yours," Lucca smirked.
"Panzer… Panzer is probably Heroica's most influential scientist. She's the one who discovered the Bestia phenomenon, amongst leading the studies on most Pokémon and nature physiology. She's also the leading expert on Heroican history, about how this world used to be inhabited by the mythical creatures known as humans. Her theories are the backbone of studies even today. Her books are why I became a scientist to begin with," Azu explained, and then went quiet. "But… she died over five-hundred years ago. Flygon have a long lifespan, but not that long. How could she show up now?"
"None of us are lying to each other, right? Because I know what I saw and heard. She spoke about the Shining Warrior legend starting back up and how she urged the public to help us in every way they could," Brine stood up.
"Wasn't she in those books you used to love, Shelly? You know about her too, right?" Elise added, and he nodded.
"Azu is right. She passed away over five hundred years ago, according to the books," Shelly confirmed. "This is making my head hurt."
"Okay gimme a minute to try somethin' here," Ruby butted in. "So we've got two evil leaders who wanna take over Heroica and start a war. Knights who apparently wanna help us, but also try to kill Crystal every chance they get, and they're stalking us around the world. Now we've got a five-hundred year old smarty-pants suddenly alive and controlling those knights?"
"Don't forget about the mystery of the old Shining Warriors, and how they're still alive and up to goodness knows what. They've made all sorts of trouble for our reputation," Brine added.
"When you put it all together like that, it seems even more bizarre. Nothing makes sense or connects," Lucca complained. Mimia whined with him, and then made a round of noises. "He's right. We can't make any links, but it is all important stuff to note down."
"Making guesses won't get us anywhere, either. Whatever's afoot, we can't let it stop us from doing what we need to do," Brine stated. Five-hundred year old Pokémon showing up is the last thing I expected to hear. How didn't anyone else realise who Panzer was at the time?
"Miss Brine—" Azu began.
"Just Brine is fine. I'm not that old yet," Brine folded her arms.
"… Did Panzer say anything else? Besides wanting to help us?" Azu wondered.
"Oh, right. She did. Er, it was something about needing help to build something in the east. That was it, she said some big event was going to happen soon so she needed help to build around it. Recruited all sorts of buff Pokémon to help her build and stuff," Brine swayed a bit as she recalled the scene.
"Why the east?" a new voice got their attention. It took Brine a second to realise that Azu didn't hear it, and held out her amulet from below her scarf. It was glowing, implying Angel was talking. "I don't want to bring up any other theories here, but if you guys succeed in all the Shining Warrior trials, you'll end up in eastern Heroica. Aside from the fact that the journey takes place once a decade, it's also impossible to predict when and where the Shining Warrior journey will start. That's why I usually wait at one of the temples."
"But that didn't happen this time. What're you getting at?" Brine asked in concern.
"Why does this apparently dead scientist know when this generation's legend started? And why is she setting up for an 'event' where you guys' journey will end?" Angel questioned. "I'm not supposed to get involved in this sorta stuff, but it really jimmies my ruffles."
"… Don't you mean 'ruffled your jimmies'? Whatever that means," Crystal scratched her face.
"Whatever, it's weird okay? If you see her again, I'd watch your backs," Angel warned. Considering what she just said, her tone was surprisingly serious, so Brine chose to drop it there.
I want to focus, but there are too many fishy things to pass off. If Panzer were trying to benefit off our journey, or actually help us, I haven't been much of that help so far, she thought to herself.
She snuck a stare at Lucca, who wore the same face as usual. A plain smile and stance, juxtaposed by an awareness that could dodge an Aerial Ace. And yet, his eyes were another world, as if everything being said gave him revelatory thoughts. He didn't even notice Brine staring, or maybe he was aware of it. Not knowing was somehow intimidating.
And you… the others may be kids who don't think twice on this, but you clearly know more to this than you're prepared to let on. But I can't make a move now. I'll have to wait for something to give me more evidence, first…