ShadowedTactician: Wake up, you idiot! It's time to reply to reviews!
Grim: Do we... really... have to?
ShadowedTactician: Grim, we've talked about this before...
Gijinka Renamon
ShadowedTactician: Well... what can I say? Thanks for the review!
Generic Reviewer
ShadowedTactician: Er... thanks for leaving a note, but how can Nergal use a Mewtwo if it hasn't been invented yet?
Grim: Speak for yourself, you gave Matthew Porygon2 in your cards.
ShadowedTactician: I only did that because both were odd!
Grim: ...Just so long as you don't chuck it in here.
ShadowAngelUmbreon
ShadowedTactician: Yeah, thanks for the review. Glad ya liked it.
Psycho Sword Lady
Grim: And once again, another in-depth review from your apparently most supportive reviewer. Now we get down to analysing...
ShadowedTactician: Right! Actually, I reserved the Swablu family for the dragon children in the cards. However, it's still unconfirmed if I'm giving them Pokémon in this fanfiction (along with Ephidel - there isn't much of a scene he could use one). It's especially not the case if the Latios/Latias plan goes ahead. For Dorcas, I doubt the Slakoth family would be suitable; he's anything but a person who'd kick back and relax. Erk gets Pokémon of the Anima elements - Fire, Electric, Ice - along with some studious ones, so Natu family doesn't fit in really. As for noisemakers, Serra COULD have a lot of better choices - Whismur, Lombre, et cetera - Chimecho doesn't seem to me like the noisy type, in spite of its Uproar skill. Matthew-wise, you can give yourself a pat on the back, because it's getting featured in the series! As for the rest of 'em (minus Nils), I've got other choices for them... but since this is getting quite long, I won't list more explanations here. You did get one thing right, Rath got Cacturne in the cards.
Grim: And if you think he forgot the Pokéitems... he didn't. He's just trying to figure out how to use them...
ShadowedTactian: As a side note, I own neither Fire Emblem nor Pokémon, so all you opportunitists out there can stop rubbing your hands in gleeful anticipation.
A small altar lies on the outskirts of Bulgar. This ancient temple, sacred to the people of Sacae, has long been known for its powerful bond to the world of spirits. Before starting their journey, our travelers come here to pray for their well-being. At this altar, Lyn's hand is directed to a grand inheritance.
"Shadow, hold a moment, and allow me a short detour." Lyn suddenly said, as the group walked along a small road.
"Hm?"
"There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here," Lyn explained. "The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the onset of a long journey."
"Oh! How quaint!" commented Sain.
"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It is nice to see that, here at least, the ancient customs are still observed," smiled Kent. However, as the group started to change their course and make their way towards the temple, all was not well at the altar where the sacred sword was kept...
"Wha...What do you think you're doing?" stammered a priest inside the temple as a band of brigands rushed into the temple, led by a gruff mercenary.
"Old man!" barked the mercenary. "Stay where you are, and hold your tongue! I'm here for that sword!"
"Threaten me as you will, but I'll not give up the Mani Katti." The priest said as he marched over to the altar, glaring at the lead invader. "The Mani Katti is a sacred blade, under divine protection. It cannot be removed from its place of rest!"
"You're a fool, old man," scoffed the villain. "What good's a sword if you don't use it!"
"Use it?" gasped the priest. "In combat? Sacrilege!"
"Sacrilege? I am Glass! The gods fear my name! My swordplay is peerless!" The fighter boasted. "And if I want this sword, then this sword I shall have!"
"I shall prevent you!" The priest flung out a PokéBall, "Medicham!" he summoned, bringing forth a humanshape Pokémon that had pale brown skin and appeared to be wearing a red hat and matching pants... of sorts.
"Beedrill!" called the mercenary, sending out a huge bee-like monster with two huge stingers for forearms that glinted in the light. "Aerial Ace!"
"Bzzz!" The poison bee leapt forward, and brought down its left stinger. KLANG! went the stinger as it clashed against an invisible wall. The Medicham stood, apparently concentrating, its arms thrust forward and palms open.
"Reflect?" laughed the swordsman. "Not bad. At least an old fogey like you can still hold your own." He snapped his fingers. "Brick Break!"
"Zzzzz!" The Beedrill flew upwards, held its stingers in the 'X' position, and came crashing down, smashing the virtual screen completely. "CHAM!" grunted the Medicham as the Beedrill dove its needles right into its body. "Medicham!" cried the priest.
"Brick Break is an attack that negates forcefield techniques like Reflect." Glass sneered. "Now, get out of my way!" "Oof!" Glass roughly shoved the priest and his Medicham aside.
"This is it! It's more magnificent than I'd imagined!" exclaimed the mercenary in awe. "This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill," he said to himself as he attempted to retrieve the sacred weapon. "Hmm? What's this?" Glass gasped in shock, "I can't... draw the sword... from its scabbard?"
"The spirits of the blade have judged you," the priest managed to speak up. "You have been found wanting. They have rejected you."
"What?" Glass' countenance changed to one of rage, "Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your life, you'll get out of my sight!" The old priest, who now knew better not to argue with a maniac with an ego to match his blade, quickly escaped through a door behind the altar.
"Curses! Miserable spirits!" Glass grumbled, "I care nothing for you! I'll tear this altar down stone by stone!"
Outside the temple, a woman was rushing around looking for help, when she met up with Lyn's group.
"I beg your pardon, milady," she wheezed, "Are you headed east? To the altar?"
"Yes, we are indeed," Lyn answered.
"Then you must hurry and help the priest there," the woman babbled. "I saw a band of local ruffians head in there not long ago. They seemed intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!"
"The Mani Katti... they're going to steal it!" gasped Lyn. "I cannot allow this to happen!"
"You look like a virtuous group. Please, help him!" begged the lady.
"Lyndis, what are you planning?" asked Sain.
"If you hope to go to the priest's aid, you'll need to prepare," Kent added.
"You're right..." agreed Lyn. "Say, Shadow... There are some homes to the south of us. Perhaps we should go there and question the residents."
"Sure, I don't see why not." Shadow shrugged. "Grim and I will stay here and observe the situation. You three go and ask the people questions about the sword," he instructed. The other three nodded, and went off to perform their minor duties, while Shadow and Grim scanned the area. After a while, Lyn, Sain and Kent had returned from their errands.
"I've received a tip from the woman we saw earlier," Lyn reported. "One of the altar's walls is cracked and in poor repair. We should be able to get into the temple by breaking that wall with our weapons and attack the leader from there."
"I've noted that," Shadow said. "Sain?"
"Nothing I haven't heard before." boasted the cavalier. "Mountains provide bad defence but they're easy to traverse. Mounted units like me can take care of them easily!"
"Errr... right." Shadow sweatdropped. "Kent?"
"Just some background about the Mani Katti. It's a sword blessed by spirits and is waiting for its rightful owner to appear." Kent shrugged. "Kinda odd if you asked me."
"Well, here's what we'll do." Shadow pointed towards the temple. "I can see some bandits moving towards this direction, so we'll quickly seize the fortresses over there where we can hold them out properly. After that, Sain and Kent can move in to break the wall and enter the altar. Lyn, you'd better take care of any bandits guarding the southern entrance. Got that?" When no questions were asked, Shadow punched his fist in the air, and yelled, "Let's go for it!"
While the bandits that did attack were merely small fry compared to our three heroes, Lyn had some trouble fighting off the brigands that ambushed her in the mountains. The terrain made it tougher for Lyn to fight, but at least she was better defended. Meanwhile, Kent and Sain had succeeded in destroying the crumbling wall, and had charged into the altar...
"Who do you think you are?" sneered Glass. "What chance do you think you have against me?"
"Quite a lot, actually." Sain smirked. "We outnumber you, for one."
"Oh, really?" Glass snapped his fingers. Immediately a trio of bandits ran in from the main entrance, weapons poised and Pokémon ready. "You had to say something, didn't you," muttered Kent.
"Don't worry! These cads can't pose much of a problem to us!" Sain assured Kent hurriedly. "I'll take on those three!" he pointed.
"Are you sure, Sain?"
"It's all I can do for Lyn!" waved the cavalier as he started to fight the bandits, slowly but surely forcing them outside. Kent could only slap his hand to his face as he faced Glass alone...
"Beedrill! Fury Attack!" shouted Glass as he lunged forward. Kent immediately found himself having to parry off attacks from both the Poison Bee Pokémon and the mercenary.
"If I'm going to beat this guy, I'll probably have to rely on my lance," thought Kent as he deflected another hit with his sword. "But with these two constantly attacking me, I've got no time to switch weapons! I have to think of something else..."
"Beedrill!" Glass' voice shook Kent from his thoughts. "Brick Break now!"
"Bzzzz!" The Beedrill raised its needles, ready to deliver a powerful strike. Just at that moment...
"Hyah!" Kent brought down his sword, hard, right in the middle where the two needles crossed each other. CHINK! For a few seconds, it was like time had stopped as the two attacks resisted each other... until, with an ominous crack, the Beedrill's needles snapped into several fragments from Kent's force.
"Darn... Beedrill, return!" Glass recalled the Poison Bee. At the same time, Kent quickly switched his sword with his lance. "Scyther, go!" Grabbing another Pokéball, Glass sent out a green mantis creature with blades for forearms. "Double Team!" Using its super speed capabilities, the Mantis Pokémon generated several images of itself, each image completely similar to the original. "Since you're such a nuisance," Glass smirked as the Scyther images closed in on Kent, "I've decided to keep you busy instead of finishing you off. Giving me plenty of time to demolish this worthless pile of rocks!" Glass finished as all the "Scyther" lunged.
"Stantler, use Psych Up!" Under Kent's command, Stantler managed to synchronise ability changes with its opponent, and as a result generated multiple images of itself as well. The images charged at each other, wildly flailing, cancelling each other out. It ended up with Scyther pressing its blades downwards, with Kent blocking the attack by holding his lance in a horizontal position, trying to prevent himself from being cornered. However, with Scyther's great strength, Kent and Stantler soon found themselves being slowly pushed to a corner of the altar.
"Hahahahaha!" laughed Glass insanely as he continued to weaken the walls.
"Urrrrgh... Flash, Stantler!" Kent managed to say through gritted teeth. Stantler's eyes suddenly shot out a beam of light that temporarily blinded the Mantis Pokémon.
"Take Down!" As Scyther struggled about, Stantler roughly knocked it down, heading for Glass and trampling the Scyther in the process.
"Unh?" Glass turned around in surprise.
"YAH!" Kent yelled, thrusting his lance through Glass, right through the navel.
"You... You..." Glass started to speak, but never quite finished what he wanted to say. "Urr... urgh..." went Glass as he collapsed on the floor in a bloody heap.
"I've done it!" shouted Kent as he rode out. "Sain! Are you -" Kent suddenly stopped speaking when he saw the corpses of three bandits lying on the ground.
"Ehehehehe..." Sain laughed sheepishly as Kent sweatdropped. "I guess I just don't know my own strength!"
"Priest!" Lyn called. "O priest!" Upon hearing someone calling for him, the priest cautiously walked out of the door. When he saw Glass' body on the floor he realised what had happened.
"Ah, your clothing," he said when he noticed Lyn. "Are you of the Lorca tribe?"
"I'm Lyn, the chieftain's daughter," answered Lyn. "Are you hurt, sir?"
"Thanks to you, I am unscathed," smiled the priest. "You have my gratitude."
"And the sword? Is it safe?" Lyn asked.
"Yes, I have sealed the sword safely away. Until I remove my spell, the sword cannot be drawn," the priest reassured. "Now, as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay hands upon the Mani Katti. Touch the blade's pattern, and pray for a safe journey."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Lyn gushed as she stepped forward, and gently placed her hands on the scabbard of the sacred sword. Suddenly, as Lyn's skin just made contact with the Mani Katti, it began to glow with a white light that bathed the entire inside of the altar.
"Hm?" The priest suddenly looked at the shining sword.
"What?" Lyn gasped. "Did - The sword... It's glowing!"
"Ah. Hm... It's the power of the spirits." The priest mused. "Lyn, they have looked into your soul, and they call out to you."
"What does that mean?"
"You are its rightful owner," explained the priest. "You are to wield the Mani Katti."
"Ah... No... I can't... I couldn't..." stammered Lyn.
"It is the sword's wish." The priest replied firmly. "If you require proof, draw it from its sheath."
"Um..." Lyn slowly held the sword's handle, closed her eyes, and pulled. SHING!
"It came out... effortlessly." Lyn breathed, not knowing what to say.
"I never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life," chuckled the priest. "I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."
"My sword?" Lyn repeated, still not quite believing what had just happened.
"It is time for you to go, Lyn," said the priest gently. "You face a many great ordeals. Grip this sword, and meet your destiny head-on."
"Yes... Yes, sir!" Lyn answered, with more resolution in her voice.
"So this is the Mani Katti... a blade with no equal," Sain commented as Lyn showed the others her new weapon.
"This is all so unbelievable." Lyn murmured as she gazed at her reflection in the blade. "Perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae... in my hand."
"It's not so strange," Kent replied. "In fact, many legends tell similar tales about special blades all over the land, calling out to their proper owners. And yet, when I saw you draw that blade, Lyndis... I felt something extraordinary. That sword was waiting for you. You were meant to draw it."
"Stop it!" yelled Lyn as she blushed heavily. "I... I'm nothing special!"
"Think of it this way," suggested Sain. "Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does this make it any easier for you to accept? It doesn't appear that either Kent or I can use it," he added.
"It... does feel right in my hand." Lyn swished the sword about a bit. "A blade that only I can wield. That seems reasonable enough. I can understand that." Smiling, she brought the holy sword in front of Shadow. "Look at it, Shadow. This is the Mani Katti. This is... my sword. I must care for it well."
"It's certainly a magnificent specimen of a sword," Shadow smiled goodnaturedly as he examined it. "Congratulations, Lyn."
Meanwhile, in a Lycian castle...
"What? Madelyn's daughter is still alive!" A general with magenta armour thumped the armrest of his throne angrily.
"Uh... yes, Lord Lundgren." A soldier answered as he shivered from fear. "The girl is travelling with Kent and Sain. What are your orders? If we let them be..."
"Bah!" Lundgren snorted. "I've heard that northern Bern is full of bandits. She's just a girl. She'll not survive her journey here. I'm more concerned with my older brother," the villain continued. "His life must be ended quickly. The poison... there must be no blunders."
"Yes, m'lord. He suspects nothing and continues to drink it," reported the soldier. "The marquess' death, due no doubt to 'sudden illness', is not far off."
"Heh heh heh..." sniggered Lundgren. "Soon... soon Caelin will be mine!"
To be continued...
ShadowedTactician: Aw, come on, you know the drill.
Grim: ...He means, review.
