Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It took much longer than I wanted to get back to this story. This chapter was finished yesterday morning, to be honest, but I was suffering from some sickness and fatigue that made it hard to stare at my computer screen. I'm seriously starting to think I have a sleeping disorder. Half the time, I feel like an insomniac, and the other half, I'm narcoleptic. Although, sleeping on the floor probably doesn't help matters. smh.
More important than my petty whining and rambling, I want to thank Mephilia Venus and Imperator Justinian for their reviews on the previous chapter. I missed you guys while I was away, and it's great to know you're still around and supporting my stories. Hopefully I'm still able to give you and everyone else a story worth reading.
So here's Chapter 2. I didn't expect this one to be as long as it was, but I added some stuff in with my character that I hadn't originally intended to be in here. This was supposed to just be the warlords' conference, but I had an idea at the last minute and decided to roll with it. Hopefully this won't be too terrible. Enjoy!
Waking up to the sound of your parents screaming at each other was never a good way to start the day. But being awoken by a Murkrow pecking at your skull was considerably worse. At least the former didn't inflict physical pain and was easy to ignore. She had been having a pleasant nap, too, in one of the dark guest rooms of Yaksha castle, with its cozy bed and drawn shades located in the northwest corner of the building. At home, her room was on the east side of the manor, so sunrise was always a miserable time for her.
"Ow, ow, OW!" She yelled, sitting up quickly and swatting at her assailant. The dark Pokemon hopped off the bed and roosted itself on the nightstand instead, still looking at her as she rubbed her skull, tears coming from her brown eyes that turned to look at it. Coming to her senses and realizing what happened, she fixed it with a glare.
"Asshole Murkrow! Why?!" She shouted, wiping her tears away. "I was having a nice dream, far away from here, and for some reason, I deserve to be awoken to the feeling of my skull being drilled through!"
The Pokemon crowed back and then went to grooming its feathers.
"What's that? You suck?!" she asked, mimicking the Murkrow's voice as closely as she could. It was an accurate likeness. "Oh no, don't be so hard on yourself." She said in her own voice. "I mean, it's true, but you don't need to say that about yourself. I'll do it for you! Ugh."
The Murkrow wasn't fazed at all by her taunts, continuing to pluck at its wings. She sighed. Looking across the room, she noticed two more of the jet-feathered birds on a faraway table, pecking at the worn-out wooden surface. There was also a Scraggy sleeping in an empty drawer in a far-off corner of the room. She pulled the black silk sheets off her body, and moved to get off the bed.
"The castle gets abandoned for a few months, and you guys decide to move in, huh?" No response, as anticipated. "Well, it's better than what I was expecting, at least."
"What were you expecting?" She squawked, getting up from the bed.
"Well, considering the last time I snuck in here, I almost got beheaded by ninjas before Lord Kotaro stepped in. I know the Fuma are gone, but I was expecting some rogues to be loitering about. This place really is abandoned this time."
She considered something briefly, then voiced her thoughts through the Murkrow's voice, "Ninja traps, dummy." she groaned a bit, annoyed with her own stupidity.
"Right, duh." She turned around. The Murkrow on the nightstand wasn't even looking at her anymore. "Well, what do you expect from me? I'm not a warrior, after all. I'm not gonna think about these thi-"
She heard a crow coming from behind her. One of the black birds across the room was staring at her. She smirked. "Well, that language was uncalled for. I don't appreciate the sass, you guys. I've got enough sass in my life as it is." Their response to this statement was to continue pecking at the table. One of them hopped away from the other and swooped down to the floor.
"Oh, great. There she goes again with her life story!"
"Does she ever stop talking?" She paused her Murkrow impersonating to consider the former statement.
"Come to think of it, are you even the same Murkrow I was talking to before? I highly doubt it, but I'm just gonna assume you are, and that you're all caught up on my pitiful story." One of them squawked, and she decided that it was a voice of protest.
"It's not like you can understand me anyway, so just stay there and pretend to listen. It was another one of those nights, so I've got a bit to get off my chest."
She continued her one-sided conversation with the Murkrow, even while they flew around the room, completely ignoring her. She was surprised they weren't territorial and attacking her further. If there was a proper nest in the room, she figured that would probably be a different story. Murkrow weren't the friendliest Pokemon with humans. Even among the warriors that were born and raised in Yaksha, she'd never known a single one to ever bond with the dark-type birds. Scraggy, Sandile and Pawniard were perhaps the friendliest of the dark-type Pokemon. She had also heard of a few warriors who bonded with the crafty Sneasel, and she even knew a skilled warrior in town that had linked with a Deino as a boy, which had recently evolved into Zweilous. But there were many dark-type Pokemon that lived in Yaksha besides those. Houndour and Absol, Stunky and Nuzleaf. Zorua… Many dark Pokemon, but so few of them actually formed links with warriors. So few got close to humans at all. She remembered seeing Lord Kotaro surrounded by packs of wild Houndour and Zorua in the forest, resting amongst them as though he were one of them. That sort of connection was special. Though she wasn't a warrior herself, even she could understand that. His partner had been a Zoroark, but it had seemed as though he could bond with all dark Pokemon with just a glance, that they would listen to and heed his command at will. There had also been a certain affection on his part as well that was unique to the wild Pokemon of Yaksha. This anarchy in the kingdom wouldn't maintain itself forever. Eventually, a new warlord was bound to take power. When that time came, she hoped they would have that same bond, that same affection that Kotaro had.
She went over to her bag and took out a comb. As she held it up to go through the tangled mess that was her hair, one of the Murkrow swooped down and grabbed it from her hand.
"Hey!" she shouted, eyes darting to the thief as it landed next to its friends on the other side of the room. She scowled, but didn't feel like hunting them down just to get back the item. Her mother would buy her a new one, no questions asked.
"Urrgh, you guys are obnoxious today!" she seethed, running her hands through her hair, trying to straighten things out as best she could with just her fingers. A chorus of crows followed this exclamation. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were laughing at her. "Whatever, whatever. I don't need it." Ignoring the trio of troublemakers, she started to get changed out of her sleepwear into proper clothes. When she reached into her bag to get out her shirt, she realized it was missing.
"Seriously?" she groaned, and started shuffling things around. "I know I packed one in here." Realizing it wasn't in there, she remembered that she had taken a book out last night to read, and she might have taken a few other things out with it. She looked all around and under the bed, but found nothing. Now this was getting frustrating.
"I saw it last night when I was getting my book." she repeated out loud. "I know it has to be here." She turned to her roommates with a playful grin. "Let me guess, you guys took my shirt, too?" But then her eyes fell to one of the open drawers of a dresser next to the table across the room, where a black shirt was spilling out of. She stared at it perplexed.
"Well, son of a Houndoom. They actually did." she mumbled, walking over to it. Picking up the article of clothing and feeling the cheap material, it was definitely hers. Then she noticed the small puncture holes made by their beaks. "Of course. Not cool, jerks. I actually do need this; kind of important." she chuckled, pulling it on for emphasis. She looked over at the kleptomaniacs. "How the hell did you guys get this? My bag was closed befo-"
Her words were cut short as she noticed that only one Murkrow was in the corner now, just staring up at her blankly. "Where did your friends go?" A crow directed her to her opened bag, where the two missing ones had their heads inside. One came out with nothing (at least that she could see), but the other had managed to grab a black-covered book, and thrashed it around.
Her eyes widened, and she sprinted to her bag as quickly as she could. But the thieves saw her charging for them, and they flew away much faster than she could get to them. To her horror, the one with the book in its mouth went to the room's balcony, and flew outside.
"No, no, no, no, no!" She cried, trying to push herself to go faster to no avail. By some miracle, the Murkrow turned around and hovered there for a moment long enough for her to catch it and get a hand on the book to pull it away. The Pokemon crowed at her, and landed on the rail, looking at her as she tried to catch her breath. The adrenaline was starting to slow down, and her lack of fitness was catching up to her. That was more exercise than she was used to doing in a week.
"You … stupid … bird!" she panted out when she started to get her breath back. "That's the last thing … I need … is you … flying off with … my sketchbook … to who knows where. Not everything in here is acceptable for public viewing, you know."
"Krooow." it cawed back.
"I know, I know. You're an asshole! We've established this." she snarked, "You know what, you probably are the same one that tried to kill me just now! Don't ignore me when I'm scolding you!" she exclaimed as it hopped up and turned its entire body so that it was facing away from the castle, towards its gate. "As I said before, I do not appreciate your sa-"
She cut herself off when she focused her gaze to where her friend was looking. Down below, with a strained groan, the main gates opened up, and a group of people walked inside. As she focused on them, the other two Murkrow flew out and perched by the third member of their group, also staring at the action happening below. As she got a better look, the girl's eyes widened in recognition, and she quickly dropped to the ground, and crawled back into the room. One of the Murkrow noticed her, and watched while she started nervously pacing about.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh-my-freaking-gosh!" she stammered, quickly hurrying to put on the rest of her clothes, throwing a black jacket on and fumbling with her boots. "Warriors, no warlords! Warlords in the castle! Arceus, Palkia and Dialga, I am going to get in so much trouble if I'm found trespassing!" She went to her bag and went over everything inside, making sure that she left nothing of hers behind. Satisfied that everything was in its proper place, she closed it up and started to head out, until she noticed her comb in the corner. Her birds friends had dropped it. She quickly grabbed it, and stuffed it in her bag as she exited the room.
"Gotta move fast, gotta move fast." She muttered, stopping by a vase in the corridor. She reached behind it to pull the secret switch hidden there, and bolted through the hidden passageway as it revealed itself within the wall. She ran through the tight passageway, up a ladder, and began to crawl through the ninja passage. She was vaguely aware of where she was in the castle; the wall to her right separated her from a large room that was typically used by the warlord of the kingdom for discussing battle strategies with their generals or for entertaining warlords from other kingdoms. As she kept going, she was intensely aware of the loud groans and squeaks of the floorboards beneath her. Ninjas might not have a problem with sneaking around inside here, but she wasn't trained to tread lightly as they were. She'd have to go fast before someone came into the room and heard her behind the wall.
She found herself halfway to her destination, another ladder to take her down to a trapdoor that led out of the castle, when she heard it. The door in the room slid open, and she heard the voices of both people and Pokemon entering. She froze in her hiding place. Her escape was right there, just a few yards away. But she didn't want to risk being heard behind the wall. She heard heavy footsteps in the room next to her, and low rumbling voices. There were some big Pokemon that just entered that room, and she definitely did not want to be found by the warlords they accompanied. So she decided to wait it out. She had nowhere to be until this evening, so she could wait as long as she needed to. Better than getting hit with Arceus only knew what attack.
She attempted to get her bearings on just who was beyond the wall that she hid behind. She heard a mixture of voices, male and female, and widely ranged in age. There were names being given through greetings, and she tried to focus in on them. Lord Motonari … Lady Ginchiyo … Lord Ieyasu … Lord Hideyoshi … Lady Nō … She recognized some, but not many.
Lord Ujiyasu … when his name was mentioned, it got her interest. Ujiyasu had been the warlord of Yaksha before Nobunaga came in and put Lord Kotaro in charge. She looked at the wall, and realized that light was coming in to where she was from the other side. She could hear a large Pokemon stomping around the room, literally feet away from where she hid, and the chatter of the people within allowed her an opportunity to readjust herself just enough to find a good vantage point from where she was to peep. She found a seam between two boards, and peered through.
Her face lit up when she saw all the Pokemon in the room. Most of them were huge, just as she suspected, and they were all incredibly awesome. There were Pokemon that she didn't even recognize, and of widely varying types. Then she saw their warriors. While she only recognized a few faces, or in some cases family crests, it was enough for her to know that every person present was a warlord. Was every warlord in Ransei here?! She took a head count three times, coming to the count of 15 each one. 11 men, four women. Only one kingdom was absent. The 17 kingdoms of Ransei and their warlords was not a topic that her teachers had demanded she learn. However, she was familiar with a few of them, or at least the ruling families. She went around the room, trying to identify as many names as she could, of warlords and Pokemon alike.
Ignis's warlord was a man named Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He was known for being a brilliant man with an affable nature, but perhaps more-so for his resemblance to a Chimchar. Ironically, his partner Pokemon was none other than an Infernape. It was rumored that when Ignis had fallen under his control, he had burned down the old castle of the kingdom, and rebuilt it from scratch in a single night. Even without his Infernape hanging off his back like a child, she could have guessed him solely by appearance. Side-by-side with his Pokemon, the resemblance truly was uncanny. His funny appearance did not take away from kind eyes and a wide grin full of humor. He seemed incredibly approachable, and was finding no trouble chatting up the others around him, one older man with a big gray Pokemon she didn't recognize, another, younger man with long blue hair, and a woman with a Crobat.
The latter of this group, she recognized as Lady Nene from the neighboring kingdom Viperia. While she didn't know that much about Lady Nene herself, Viperia was practically Yaksha's elder brother. Yaksha had always been a pink Mareep in every sense of the word, and its leadership had never been consistent. Furthermore, not every one of its warlords had been ninjas. Viperia, however, was the birthplace of the ninja, and had been ruled by ninjas since its inception. While most kingdoms typically were passed from parent to child of the ruling family of the land, only to occasionally be usurped by another, Viperia was the only kingdom where each of its warlords had earned their place. Lady Nene was no exception to this, she was sure. The ninjas of Yaksha and Viperia notoriously did not get along with one another, but she had never heard a Yaksha ninja speak poorly of Lady Nene. Any mention to her had always been of her sweetness and warmth. They always spoke of a motherly woman with a heart of gold. Golbat were only able to evolve through possession of the closest bonds with their warriors. So that Crobat flying near her made two things clear: her bond with it was strong, and she was a very powerful warlord. Her youth and her glowing, cheerful smile should not suggest otherwise.
Greenleaf historically was not a prominent kingdom in Ransei, but its warlord was quite famous for having the longest tenure of any other warlord in history. Lord Motonari was his name if memory served. She couldn't remember the exact years he'd ruled Greenleaf. 40, 50, something like that. She knew that he had some conquests under his belt, but similar to Lord Ujiyasu in Cragspur, he was much more concerned with his home kingdom's safety. Prior to Aurora's victory in Greenleaf two years ago, Lord Motonari had never lost control of Greenleaf. He was a legendary strategist who could defeat even the mightiest warlords with his schemes. Greenleaf was the kingdom of grass-type Pokemon. If she hadn't known this, Lord Motonari might have been hard to pick out from the others. But the Pokemon lounging beside one man suggested grass-type. She had never seen a Serperior before, but it was exactly how it was described in the books she had read. A long, legless creature with green and yellow scales and the body of a Dragonair. It was an absolutely beautiful Pokemon, boasting an air of regalness she wasn't used to seeing from wild Pokemon in Yaksha. She was too afraid to take out her sketchbook and attempt to put its image to paper, so she instead tried to take in every detail of it, hoping that she could draw something close to accurate later on. Lord Motonari himself sat at the table in the center of the room, a quiet smile on his face as he read from a book. It was too far away for her to read the title. He showed some age in his green hair that was beginning to gray, but otherwise it appeared that the sixty-some years of his life had been kind to him. Judging by his smile, he had been kind in return. Never before had she seen an old man look so happy with the world. Most either grew tired or bitter. She'd had the displeasure of being around far too many of them. But Lord Motonari reminded her of her own grandfather, a kind and easygoing man.
There were four women in the room at present. Besides Lady Nene, the only other one she recognized was Ginchiyo Tachibana. Aurora's army had appeared in Yaksha February of last year, two weeks before her birthday. Lady Ginchiyo had been one of Aurora's five generals during that battle, where she and her Luxio had lit up the battlefield with thunderbolt after thunderbolt. The Tachibana clan was one of the oldest in Ransei. They had founded their home kingdom of Violight, and had ruled it since time immemorial alongside their electric-type Pokemon. It was an incredibly proud clan that bred strong warriors, such as Lady Ginchiyo. Putting aside her knowledge of the Tachibana clan and going strictly by appearances, she knew that she respected Lady Ginchiyo instantly. From her posture to her no-nonsense glare, she bled strength and pride from head to toe. Her Luxio mirrored her in all these regards. That didn't stop the electric cat from being one of the most adorable things she had ever seen. She had a certain weakness for furry quadrupeds like Luxio.
Another one of the generals from Aurora's army that she recognized was Lord Yoshihiro. However, since Aurora's victory in Yaksha, and ultimately their conquest of Ransei, he had returned to his original position as the warlord of Pugilis. He was a huge, intimidating man with an equally intimidating fighting-type Pokemon she didn't know the name of, who had clearly not slowed down with age. Yet he and his kingdom were two more subjects she was not familiar with. She knew that Pugilis was another kingdom like Yaksha, which frequently traded hands between warlords, and Yoshihiro's clan, the Shimazu, supposedly had some unofficial rivalry with the Tachibana. He and Lady Ginchiyo seemed to be having a friendly conversation, so it wasn't immediately obvious that this was true.
Chrysalia was an interesting case. For a while, it had been a prominent kingdom that boasted one of the strongest armies in all of Ransei. It had once been thought that the Imagawa clan would come to unite the 17 kingdoms under their kingdom's banner. But at some point, it almost seemed as though Chrysalia had fallen off the map. All the kingdoms that had fallen under its control had been reclaimed, the kingdom had become withdrawn, and the next time anyone heard anything from Ransei's northwestern-most kingdom, it appeared that it had almost become an aristocracy. As for its warlord, Yoshimoto Imagawa … No one really knew what happened with him. Looking at the man in the expensive-looking robes with the… thing (bug Pokemon? Not one she was familiar with) next to him … her best guess was … some kind of head injury? Maybe?
A smile stretched across her face when she saw the man with the scars on his face and the Gigalith laying at his side. It was none other than Ujiyasu Hojo. The Hojo clan had been the founders of Yaksha. Lord Ujiyasu's grandfather had claimed the free land for the Hojo while aiming to expand Cragspur's territory. From the day she was born until she was about 14, Ujiyasu had been Yaksha's warlord, and had treated it no differently than his home kingdom of Cragspur. During Nobunaga's campaign, Ujiyasu had kept the Demon King at bay, blocking his path into western Ransei indefinitely. But eventually, Nobunaga had pushed through. He had taken control of Yaksha, and Lord Ujiyasu had been forced to withdraw his forces back to Cragspur. From that moment on, Yaksha had been under Oda rule. She actually thought that Nobunaga had killed him until the news that Cragspur had been returned to Lord Ujiyasu after Unification. Rumor had it he had gotten that scar on his face fighting Nobunaga…
It was then that she realized that Lord Nobunaga wasn't in the room. She knew what he looked like, and his Pokemon, a Hydreigon. She couldn't even see a dragon Pokemon in the room. So both Dragnor and Aurora were absent, seeing as there were also no Eeveelutions running around, and none of the women in the room resembled Lady Ryoko of Aurora. Even so, she kept looking, trying to get a glimpse of …
No way.
No … way!
She had been so focused on seeing Lord Ujiyasu again, she had completely blocked out who he was freaking talking to. Next to the former warlord of her kingdom were none other than the legendary warriors Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda, and their respective partners Gallade and Rhyperior. She knew it was them beyond a doubt, their appearances exactly as they were spoken of by the traveling warriors that told tales of their battles with one another. Everyone in Ransei knew about the battles that took place at Kawanakajima, the land located exactly between Illusio and Terrera that both kingdoms had fought for control of for almost a decade. What had originally been a much-sought-after territory had become the private battlefield used exclusively for the two warlords' battles with one another, the territory dispute long since forgotten. Kenshin and Shingen were so perfectly matched, every single battle that had ever taken place at Kawanakajima had ended in a draw. There were more than a hundred tales about their legendary fights, and she knew every single one of them. Respect was not something that she was comfortable simply handing to people. But if there were any warlords in this room that she respected, Lord Ujiyasu, Lord Shingen and Lord Kenshin were easily in the top 3.
But there was a fourth member of their group, a woman dressed in white. She sat close to Lord Kenshin, but was engrossed in conversation with Lord Shingen and Lord Ujiyasu. She was a lovely woman, the very embodiment of grace and elegance. It was hard to look away from her, but at the same time, her beauty was unnerving. It made her more aware of the dirt and grime on her feet, the holes in her clothes, her greasy, unkempt hair, her unappealing face. Her parents and sister always commented on her ragged, lowly appearance, how poorly she kept herself. Yet even when she had tried to make herself pretty and refined, the face that stared back at her would never be one that she liked. She had given up trying to be beautiful; her family never saw the effort, and she never saw the results she wanted. In the woman's arms, there was the most precious little ball of white fluff that she had ever laid eyes on. She'd had a stuffed toy of one in her childhood, but couldn't recall the Pokemon's name. She had no problems identifying the Pokemon at the woman's side, however: a Froslass. The girl had never seen one before, but she had heard of them from travelers and in books. Beautiful ghosts of the north with hollowed bodies that froze their prey in ice. She gazed in awe at it, one of the most radiant creatures she had ever laid eyes on. A beautiful Pokemon for a beautiful warlord.
The rest of the room, she wasn't too familiar with. Avia's warlord was identifiable by the giant bird Pokemon perched next to him. He sat alone, at the back of the table, looking directly ahead. He was facing towards a window, she noted, remembering the layout of this room. There was a balcony with a very lovely view of the sky. Well, lovely if you liked seeing nothing but dark clouds for miles, such was the weather in Yaksha. She'd heard some rumors about him, but they were incredibly vague at best. Avia wasn't the most notable of kingdoms on its own, and her knowledge of it was minimal. Yet he seemed pensive. She couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind.
Fontaine's warlord was hard to identify. There was an attractive man with a Lapras, and a man with a shamisen and weird hair (like she was one to judge) that had a smallish, blue Pokemon near him. Lapras were found primarily in the north, so she ruled out the blue-haired man for the guy with the shamisen. She didn't know anything about Fontaine, or its warlord. Nixtorm's warlord, to her knowledge, was a man, so that must have been who the guy with the Lapras was.
Though now, that raised the question of who the woman with the Froslass was. She would assume Spectra, but there was another very, very attractive woman with a Mismagius in the room who could also take that title. She'd heard so many things about Spectra's current warlord, so many whispers. It would be wonderful to put a name and a face to the woman of mystery. She had always dreamed of traveling to Spectra, Ransei's great necropolis. After dark-types, she had always been fascinated by ghost Pokemon. She'd heard there were no Pokemon quite like them.
She knew that Valora's warlord was a veteran, Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa. One of Nobunaga's closest and most loyal allies. The only person left in the room was the older man with the giant gray Pokemon that she was certain at this point was a steel-type. His face was kind, but it was clear that the man had been worn down by decades of battles. But she noticed the smile he wore, and the laughter he shared with those around him.
In fact, she noticed it in the entire room. These people, who had seen so much war and had endured such great trials in their lives, they somehow filled the room with a prevailing sense of optimism. These people had been enemies not a few months ago. They had clashed on the battlefield, they had taken their lands and their homes from one another. Was there no ill will left between them? Had all these different people truly found a way to exist in harmony? It stunned her. How was it so easy for them, when so many struggled to work through their differences and live together peacefully? Was this the power of the legendary Pokemon, and the hero of Ransei?
It seemed that Cragspur, Viperia, Illusio, Terrera, Spectra, Greenleaf, Violight, Ignis, Fontaine, Pugilis, Avia, Valora, Nixtorm, and Chrysalia's warlords were present. That was 14 kingdoms, leaving Aurora, Dragnor and Yaksha.
After some time, she heard the room's door slide open, and the conversations in the room fell silent. She tried to move herself to see who had entered, but realized she wouldn't be able to without making noise. She didn't want to risk being heard.
"Everyone, take your seats." she heard the voice of a young man say. "We're about to begin."
Those that were already sitting at the table remained where they were, and those that stood moved to the closest seat available. In all the movement, she tried to catch a glimpse of who came in. She saw three heads walking to the seats closest to the balcony, at the head of the table. Two brunettes, and one pink haired girl. She couldn't make out their faces until they sat down. She recognized the two females, and she didn't need to recognize the young man to know who he was. She caught glimpses of their Pokemon as well: An Umbreon, an Espeon, and a Jigglypuff. Her jaw fell agape. There they were, the Unifiers of Ransei. Aurora's twin warlords, Lady Ryoko and Lord Ryo, and their second-in-command, the girl with the Jigglypuff. She had seen Lady Ryoko and the pink haired girl when they came to challenge Lord Kotaro. Where Lord Ryo had been at the time, she didn't know. This was the first time she had seen him in person, despite the fact that he had taken residence in Yaksha Castle several times. The warlords didn't associate with the nobles that often, and she had never seen them at parties. The Espeon at Lady Ryoko's side was beyond gorgeous, with shining velvety fur and mysterious amethyst eyes, but what really drew her focus were the glowing rings and blood-red eyes of the Umbreon seated closer to Lord Ryo. She had never seen such incredible, beautiful Pokemon before.
"What is she doing here?!" The voice of Avia's warlord broke through the silence, and drew her attention to him. She noticed then that he was sitting directly across from Lord Ryo, who was at the very head of the table. "Where's Nobunaga?!"
All eyes in the room turned to the pink-haired girl. She flushed under the gaze of her peers, and clutched her Jigglypuff tightly to her, as though the pink Pokemon were to be a shield.
She stammered a response to the command. "I-I am here to… to represent the kingdom of D-Dragnor…"
"Oh, don't give us that!" Avia's warlord snapped, rising from his place to leer down at her. "Don't you think we've heard that enough?!" She watched from her hiding place as the pink-haired girl shriveled under his anger. That poor girl. There wasn't much worse than being put in such a situation.
"Lord Masamune, Lady Oichi is here to represent Dragnor, and you will show her the respect she deserves." Lord Ryo spoke up, struggling to hide his frustration with the other warlord.
Masamune scoffed. "I say we're the ones being disrespected!" he protested. "Every other warlord in the kingdom has attended these conferences as you demand, yet Nobunaga has yet to make an appearance once! Instead, he sends his sister to speak for him! It doesn't seem to me he's too concerned with this kingdom's crisis if he leaves us to deal with this mess. Especially when he's in part responsible."
"Would you rather he send no one at all to represent Dragnor, as Kotaro did for Yaksha?" Lady Ryoko interjected. "Everyone in this room is here to help Yaksha, and pointing fingers will do us no good."
"No one else seems to have a problem with Lady Oichi being here but you, Masamune." Hideyoshi spoke, glaring at the one-eyed young man, who returned the scowl in kind. "And if your contribution here will amount to nothing more than complaining, perhaps it would be best if you leave."
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Ujiyasu commented.
"Hmph." Masamune took his seat, ignoring the other warlords sending him disapproving glares. "If she wants to play warlord, so be it. But don't expect anything useful out of a warrior who needs others to come to their rescue."
"Masamune!" Ryo reprimanded, "I won't have you-"
"Please!" Oichi spoke up suddenly, "I don't need you to defend me, Lord Ryo. I'm here to represent Dragnor and help this kingdom. Nothing else matters." The uncertainty in her face said otherwise, but it was clear she intended to stand by her words.
Ryo hesitated, but nodded his approval. From next to him, his sister smiled. "Alright." she agreed, "Then let's officially call this meeting to order." She turned to glare at Masamune again, "Assuming there are no further objections?"
He waved off the remark. "Let's just get this over with." he replied.
"Thank you." Ryo said, "In that case, let's start with the role call; make sure everyone is present."
"Can't you count?" Masamune commented. Just as Ryo was about to rebuke the snide remark, the flying warlord raised his hand. "Lord Masamune Date, warlord and representative of the kingdom of Avia, present." The girl scowled. Arrogant bastard. He could give some of Yaksha's nobles a run for their money with his attitude.
"Thank you, Lord Masamune." Ryoko deadpanned with an added eye-roll, but wrote his name onto a scroll next to Avia. "Lord Shingen, starting with you, can we please go around the rest of the table?"
Shingen smiled from his seat next to Ryoko. "My pleasure, Lady Ryoko." he said, "Lord Shingen Takeda, warlord of the kingdom Terrera, present."
Motonari greeted them next with a smile and a bow. "Lord Motonari Mori, representing the kingdom of Greenleaf, present."
"Lady Nene, warlord and representative for the kingdom of Viperia, Lady Ryoko." Nene said with a salute.
"Lord Ujiyasu Hojo, Cragspur's warlord and representative." Ujiyasu said with a hand-wave. He seemed as annoyed with the role call as Masamune was, but was determined to remain civil so the process would go by quickly.
Hideyoshi smiled, before standing up to give an extravagant bow. "Representing the great kingdom of Ignis is none other than its handsome and gifted warlord-"
From next to him, Ujiyasu groaned before reaching up to Hideyoshi's shirt and pulling him back to his seat. "Hideyoshi's present and accounted for. Moving on." he grumbled. This got a few chuckles from some warlords, but mostly eye rolls. Their observer had to stifle a laugh herself, but a smile still clung to her face. It didn't seem like he was taking himself too seriously.
Nene reached over to flick Hideyoshi's ear. "Not the time." She seethed at him.
"Lighten up." he responded, rubbing his ear.
"Moving on." Ryo repeated.
Lord Yoshimoto smiled and waved. "My turn! Lord Yoshimoto Imagawa, ruler of the wondrous kingdom of Chrysalia! So delighted to be seeing you all again so soon!" he stated gleefully.
"…Right. Thank you, Lord Yoshimoto." Ryoko nodded, returning to her writing. The observer felt similar. That was certainly a way to introduce yourself. Ruler? It was accurate, but what warlord introduced themselves that way? He seemed oblivious to the uncomfortable environment he'd established, too.
Mitsuhide gave a curt bow, his face remaining stoic. "Lord Mitsuhide Akechi, warlord of Nixtorm and representative for the kingdom, present."
Masamune was skipped over, and Lord Ieyasu spoke next, giving a bow in a similar fashion to Mitsuhide. "Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, and I am honored to represent Valora as its warlord."
Yoshihiro smiled and bowed. "Lord Yoshihiro Shimazu, here to represent the kingdom of Pugilis."
He was followed by Kenshin, "Lord Kenshin Uesugi, warlord and representative for the kingdom Illusio."
The girl hiding behind the wall leaned closer. The woman sitting next to Kenshin was next to give her name.
She directed her serene smile towards Aurora's warlords. Her voice was just as lovely as everything else about her. "Lady Aya Uesugi, representing Illusio kingdom alongside my brother." she said. Well, she certainly wouldn't have guessed that. But looking at her and Kenshin now, she did notice some uncanny similarities. She had heard somewhere that Kenshin Uesugi had a sister. So that was Lady Aya, then.
The woman with the Mismagius smirked, looking down the table at her. "Interesting that you're here, my lady. What exactly made Illusio decide that two representatives were necessary?"
Lady Aya continued to smile, unfazed by the taunts from the other woman. "These are unusual circumstances, are they not? Lord Kenshin thought my presence might be helpful."
"I'd ask that both of you refrain from any conversations not relevant to the topic at hand." Ryo interjected, clearly growing frustrated, "And given your history, I prefer that you not talk to each other at all."
Lady Aya turned her attention to Ryo, "I assure you, Lord Ryo, I have no interest in associating with her in the slightest."
"I can't say the feeling is mutual." the other woman said with a coy smirk, "But I'll let you go… for now."
Ginchiyo rolled her eyes. "If you two are quite through, perhaps we can continue without further distractions?" she suggested. "Lady Ginchiyo of the Tachibana clan and warlord of Violight. Present and accounted for, Lord Ryo."
Fontaine's warlord followed, "Lord Motochika of the kingdom Fontaine, warlord and representative, present." he said.
This left Spectra's warlord, who had suddenly gone quiet. Several seconds passed with no response, as the other warlords turned to her in confusion. Growing tired of the silence, Ryo addressed her. "Lady Nō?"
"Yes?" she asked, turning to face the warlord of Aurora.
"Your name and kingdom for the record." Ryoko reminded her, as though she would have forgotten.
"Have you forgotten my name or the name of my kingdom?" she queried.
"Well, obviously not, but-"
"Then I see no need to hand either to you."
It looked like one or both of the twins were about to say something, but instead, Ryo turned to his sister, and gestured for her to just go ahead and write down Lady Nō's name on the record. Their observer found the behavior strange. Her fascination with Lady Aya was now being overshadowed by this Lady Nō. She was familiar with a superstition that names gave spirits power over humans. Did that have something to do with her reluctance to use her name? She was Spectra's warlord, after all. How mysterious. How cool.
Oichi gave a small bow. "L-Lady Oichi Oda, representing the kingdom of Dragnor on behalf of Lord N-Nobunaga Oda. Present."
"Lady Ryoko, warlord and representative of Aurora, present." Ryoko said, with a smile.
"Lord Ryo, warlord of Aurora, and overseer of this warlords' Conference." Ryo said.
"All kingdoms are present and accounted for." Ryoko stated. "This emergency Conference of the warlords can now be called to order. Lord Ryo of Aurora has the floor."
"Well, that was a waste of time." Masamune remarked.
"I'd like to keep formalities, if it's all the same to you." Ryo rebuked, meeting Masamune with a glare, "And if you don't like the way we're handling this, the invitation to leave still stands."
Masamune said nothing back to this, though his gaze still challenged the warlord of Aurora.
"I want everyone to remember why we're here, and especially what's at stake." Ryo began, "This is not something that I intend to take lightly, nor should any of you. Here is what Ryoko and I have been informed of so far: As you all know, for the past three months, Yaksha's warlord, Lord Kotaro Fuma, has not been in attendance of the warlords' conferences, nor has he sent any representation for the kingdom of Yaksha." The girl leaned in closer, suddenly interested in more than just the warlords present. They were here to discuss Lord Kotaro. They were here to decide Yaksha's fate.
"We had received messages explaining Yaksha's absence sent by Kotaro's ninjas, decoys to keep us away from the kingdom so that it would fall into anarchy. It was only four days ago that Lord Ujiyasu and Lady Nene discovered Kotaro's disappearance and alerted us to the situation in Yaksha. For three months now, Yaksha has been without a warlord. Kotaro has disappeared without a trace, and in his absence, Yaksha has suffered heavily. We have called this emergency conference to determine how to go about fixing the damage that Kotaro has done, and to decide what to do about Yaksha's leadership. Yaksha is part of Ransei, and as warlords, we have a responsibility to protect the people here just as much as we do in our own kingdoms."
Ryo paused for a second, allowing his words to set in with everyone before continuing, "Now first, I want to thank Lord Ujiyasu for quickly alerting everyone present to Yaksha's current state. We're lucky you came to check on Lord Kotaro, and discovered the severe state of the kingdom." Ujiyasu nodded. "And Lady Nene, I thank you as well for not only working with Lord Ujiyasu to get word to the other warlords, but also for personally sending a team of your own ninjas to hunt down Kotaro and his followers. It's important that we find him as soon as possible."
Nene smiled, "Not at all, Lord Ryo. That awful Kotaro can't be allowed to abandon his own kingdom and not receive punishment for it. I'll catch him if it's the last thing I do!"
"Punishing Kotaro isn't our top priority right now, but the sooner we apprehend him, the better." Ryo stated, "First and foremost, we need to get this kingdom back on its feet, and the best way to do that is by finding Yaksha a new warlord to replace Kotaro. I think I'd be safe in assuming that nothing like this has ever happened in Ransei's history before?"
"Certainly not that I've read about, or lived through for that matter." Motonari answered.
Ryo nodded. "Then as far as I'm concerned, there's no protocol that needs to be followed. I'm willing to hear any suggestions you all may have." he said. "The floor is open to anyone who has an idea."
"Lord Ryo, permission to speak?" Ryo barely had time to finish his sentence before Lord Ujiyasu spoke up. Many of the warlords appeared to have thoughts they were interested in sharing then, but he certainly hadn't expected Ujiyasu to be the first to speak up on the matter. Wasn't he only concerned with his own kingdom usually?
"You have the floor, Lord Ujiyasu." Ryo agreed, nodding his approval.
"Thanks." the older warlord nodded, before addressing the rest of the conference. "I think most of you are aware that the kingdom of Yaksha was originally Hojo territory." he said, "My grandfather founded Yaksha, and until Nobunaga invaded, it had always been in my family's possession. Had I kept a tighter grip on this kingdom, and on my former general, Yaksha might not be in such a state right now."
"You can't blame yourself for this, Lord Ujiyasu." Ryoko mentioned.
"Regardless of where the blame lies, the fact remains that I had an obligation to protect this kingdom, and I didn't." he continued, "But what's important now is that Yaksha needs a leader to repair the damage and get things back on track. I know this kingdom, and its people and Pokemon. I'm willing to take responsibility for Yaksha as long as necessary to find a proper replacement for Kotaro."
"That would be much appreciated, Lord Ujiyasu." Ryo nodded, "Does anyone here object to this?"
"I certainly do!" Masamune exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "Let's not kid ourselves, you're only in this for your personal gain, Ujiyasu!"
"Masamune-" Ryoko groaned.
"Oh, he makes a good argument, for sure." Masamune continued unperturbed. "It makes perfect sense for Yaksha territory to be returned to Hojo rule. But don't you think ruling two kingdoms would give the Hojo too much power, especially when the warlords have to abide by the peace treaty forbidding us from expanding territory?"
Ujiyasu laughed. "Power to do what? Build up an army to conquer more kingdoms? If I had any interest in claiming Ransei for myself, I would have done so back in my prime. This isn't about power, you spoiled brat. It's about giving the people and Pokemon of this kingdom a leader who can protect and provide for them."
"And what's to say you're the leader this kingdom deserves?"
"They certainly deserve better than you, pipsqueak." Ujiyasu sneered.
"Oh, is that so?!" Masamune snapped, whipping his head up to face Ryo. "As far as I'm concerned, Kotaro abandoning Yaksha means that this kingdom is once more a free territory for the taking. And I'm willing to fight everyone in this room for this kingdom to fall under Avia's control!" he declared.
"Now wait just a minute, Masamune Date!" Nene suddenly spoke up, getting to her feet, "Just because you want control of this kingdom, doesn't give you the right to make a claim on it. You don't know the first thing about Yaksha."
"I don't need to know anything about Yaksha to be its warlord!" he argued.
"That way of thinking is just despicable!" she scolded him. "This isn't just another kingdom full of warriors and farmers and merchants. This is a kingdom of ninjas. Lord Ujiyasu, you're a wonderful warlord, but Yaksha's status as a ninja territory has only been growing with each passing year. This isn't the same kingdom it was five years ago. The people here need a warlord who can take charge of all these bad ninjas running around and set them straight. With Kotaro gone, I'm the only true ninja warlord among us. I think I should be the one to take charge of Yaksha!"
"Lady Nene, you're still a young warlord." Ujiyasu observed, "No offense to you, but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you with such a high responsibility."
"Don't you dare doubt me!" she yelled, "It's obvious that I'm the most qualified person here to take leadership of Yaksha! I'll treat it no differently than Viperia!"
"Yaksha isn't Viperia, that's the point!" he protested, "You know how to lead the ninjas in your kingdom, but the ninjas here are much different!"
"They just need the right guidance!" she insisted.
"If you want this kingdom, you'll have to fight Avia's army for it!" Masamune insisted.
"This fighting is getting us nowhere!" Shingen exclaimed, standing up as well. He turned his attention to Masamune. "You want a fight for this kingdom, boy? Very well, then I'll stake my own claim on Yaksha. You know that you won't stand a chance against the legendary Shingen Takeda, nor will any of the rest of you. I'll knock you all out before you even make it to the battlefield!"
"You think I can't handle the shrimp here on my own?!" Ujiyasu yelled at the red masked warlord, "You jumping into the fray isn't helping; stay out of this!"
"You think I'm the least bit worried about you, old man?!" Masamune bit back, "I'll just take Terrera while I'm at it!"
"No, there will be no fighting over this kingdom!" Ryo shouted, but it fell on deaf ears.
"Well, this is getting interesting now." Yoshihiro stated, standing as well, "I always like it when the odds are against me. Maybe Lord Shingen's inclusion could persuade Kenshin Uesugi to participate in this battle as well? Make this a real challenge!"
Kenshin scoffed, "I have no interest in expanding the Uesugi's territory." he insisted, "However, if my nemesis intends to battle for this land, that I am interested in being a part of."
Hideyoshi stood up, "I'm taking Nene's side here! She's the best option, and I'm willing to stand with Ignis's army in support of her!"
"Lord Hideyoshi, don't be ridiculous!" Ieyasu retorted, "Lord Ujiyasu is the most logical choice to take charge of Yaksha. We all need to stop fighting and think about this rationally."
"If everyone here was interested in thinking rationally, I wouldn't see a need to get involved." Shingen replied. "It's clear the only thing any of you will listen to is a rock wrecker to your face!"
Ginchiyo stood. "You're all being completely stupid! Isn't it obvious to you that Masamune wants us to devolve into this petulant bickering?! You're playing straight into his hands!"
"But he's not wrong." Mitsuhide lamented, "Whomever claims Yaksha as their own territory will have greater power and influence than the other warlords. Ransei can never truly be at peace if its warlords are not all equal. Nor can we have peace as long as there are those that wish to fight."
"Ugh, dramatic as always." Nō remarked.
"Oh my, all of this tension is terribly dreadful. You know what will fix this? A nice, friendly game of pokemari!" Yoshimoto cheered.
"Enough!"
Even over all the screaming of nearly every warlord, Ryo's voice reverberated with a powerful rumble. It wasn't often that the young man raised his voice to others, but when he wanted to be heard, he was heard. Perhaps it could be attributed to his connection with the Legendary Arceus. Whatever it was, it resonated with authority.
"Is this what we've devolved to?!" he demanded, letting no one in the room escape his chastising gaze. "Is this the way to repair this broken kingdom? By throwing away everything we've fought so hard to achieve, and return to the days of war?! Have none of you learned anything, after all this time?! We've been through this a hundred times, over and over and over. This fighting will never accomplish anything, and we know it. If it's this easy to return to our old ways, then we'll never have peace." He paused, realization dawning on him.
"You're right, Ginchiyo." he told her, "Someone does want us to fight. This is exactly what Kotaro wants to happen. He wants us to fight over this territory, and bring Ransei back into war."
"To have chaos fall over the land once more." Ujiyasu pondered.
"This is exactly what he's hoping for." Ryo continued, "But that won't happen, it can't. The time for fighting is well behind us. Ransei is stronger united, and united is how we'll stay forever."
"That sure is a lovely sentiment." Masamune snarked, "But that's all you are, isn't it? An imbecile with nothing but sentimentality."
"And you're a selfish ass that thinks he's above everyone else." Ryo snapped back.
"I'm certainly above you!" he insisted, "You talk of unity and peace as though it is the path we walk upon now. But we're no closer to those ideals than we were before you took control of the 17 kingdoms, and this unrest in Yaksha only proves this. The land can never be unified as long as there is one kingdom that suffers, nor can there be peace so long as even one person has the will to fight."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I say something?" Everyone turned to face Lord Motonari, looking sheepishly to Lord Ryo.
"You have the floor, Lord Motonari." Ryoko said before her brother could reply.
Motonari rubbed the back of his head. "Thank you, Lady Ryoko. It's just that it seems to me, since we can't decide who is the best leader amongst ourselves to take charge of this kingdom, the wisest course of action would be to find a new warlord for Yaksha altogether. Not to mention, it just seems ridiculous to have 16 warlords for a land that has 17 kingdoms."
"It shouldn't come to bickering in order for us to reach that conclusion." Ryo commented.
"So we're just going to push this problem onto someone else, then?" Masamune asked, "Is it really the wisest course of action to bring in new blood to deal with the anarchy in Yaksha?"
"Well, not all of us became warlords in exactly ideal situations." Lady Nō remarked. "This kingdom is no worse for wear than mine was when I succeeded Spectra's former warlord, nor Dragnor before Nobunaga took power. And how many of us were made to defend our kingdoms on the very first day?"
"Nothing says we have to bring in a complete novice." Ieyasu stated, "I'm sure among all of us, we can offer up at least one general who has experience in delegating a kingdom. If it interests you, Lord Ryo, I personally can offer at least eight of my highest ranking generals for you to choose between."
"So you can rule Yaksha from the sidelines, no doubt." Masamune protested.
"I can assure you, I have no intentions of expanding my own power." Ieyasu said, looking affronted by the very suggestion.
"He has a point, though." Ginchiyo noted, "Having one of your 'highest ranking,' most trusted generals in control of Yaksha? How would that be any different than having the kingdom fall under Tokugawa control. Valora has its own history, Lord Ieyasu, and we're not ignoring that either."
"Now see here!" Ieyasu fumed, "I have never done a thing in my life for my own selfish gains! Everything I have ever done has been for the good of the people of my kingdom, and the good of Ransei!"
"Well, obviously we need to choose someone." Hideyoshi said, "Does anyone have a general who was born or raised in Yaksha? It would make sense to have someone with a connection to the kingdom take charge of it."
"I don't think we'll have to choose." Motonari stated, gaining everyone's attention. "In all this fighting around who to replace Kotaro with, we've overlooked an important bit of information. We've all seen Yaksha City on our way to the castle, and somehow the devastation that's impacted the rest of the kingdom has completely missed its capital city. Surely, I'm not the only one that finds this the least bit curious. Uncovering the source of this city's success may play a crucial part in helping the rest of the kingdom recover."
"Lord Motonari, you believe that Yaksha has already chosen its new warlord, don't you?" Lady Aya spoke up suddenly.
"Oh, not this garbage!" Masamune exclaimed. "We're not deciding the fate of an entire kingdom, and the people and Pokemon within it, on some old fairy tale! 'The kingdoms choose their warlords,' indeed!"
"You don't believe your kingdom chose you to lead and protect it, Lord Masamune?" Aya asked.
"I earned my place as warlord of Avia! There was no 'magical force,' or divine intervention or whatever you call it that guided me there." he insisted.
"It's not magic." Nō corrected him, "It's a unique bond that we as warlords hold with our kingdoms, no different than the bonds we share with our Pokemon. We were all selected because we represent and embrace the truest parts of our kingdoms."
"I've never heard of that legend before." Ryoko said. "So it was our destinies to become warlords?"
"Destiny doesn't exist. Humans aren't created to walk a predetermined path." Nō replied, "You and your brother earned the favor of Aurora, and the kingdom embraced you as its warlords. As I said, it's exactly the bond you share with your Pokemon, but it extends to your entire kingdom."
"It's the same for all of us present." Kenshin spoke.
"So Yaksha's chosen a warlord for itself, then?" Ryo asked, "But then why aren't they here now, leading the kingdom?"
"Because the kingdoms don't choose their warlords, imbecile!" Masamune snapped, "As I said, it's an old legend, told by self-righteous old men to trick the people into blindly accepting them as their leaders."
"I would think you'd be more open to the idea, Lord Masamune." Shingen said, "After all, isn't that what you desire? To have others blindly accept you as Ransei's leader without a fight?"
"I don't see how all of you can't see the answer when it's so glaringly obvious." Yoshimoto sighed, "The best way to save this kingdom is through the grace of pokemari. By letting the spirit of pokemari into their hearts, the people will surely be united."
"…And I suppose Yoshimoto also was 'chosen' by Chrysalia?" Masamune sneered.
"It's a better suggestion than anything you've offered so far!" Ryoko shot back with a scowl.
"So happy to be of help!" Yoshimoto said.
"You aren't any help at all!" Masamune shouted.
"And neither is this constant bickering!" Ryo interjects. He sighed before getting to his feet. "Alright, it's obvious to me that we're getting nowhere this way. By rule of this council, if an agreement cannot be made between at least two-thirds of the representatives, then a decision will fall to the overseer." The room went quiet as Ryo paused to think. Coming to a decision, he opened his eyes and faced the other warlords.
"I hereby officially close this meeting of the 17 kingdoms for the day. We will convene again tomorrow morning after we've all had a chance to cool down, by which time I'll have determined our course of action. I'll be seeking input from each of you throughout the day. Separately. It's clear to me that it will be impossible to get your council otherwise. At this time, you're all dismissed."
There was no protests from anyone in the room as the meeting came to an end. Ryo stormed out the door with haste, joined by Umbreon. and the other warlords slowly followed behind.
"What a waste of time." Masamune grumbled to his Braviary, who cawed a response. He looked at his partner in shock.
"Overreacted?! I most certainly did not!" he denied.
"Well, that was certainly fun! Wasn't it, Pineco?" Yoshimoto said to his partner, "Why don't we go have ourselves a nice game of pokemari!"
"That was hardly a surprise." Ginchiyo muttered to Motonari as they exited with their Pokemon. "When has anything productive ever been accomplished with these conferences?"
"It would be hard for you to know that since this is only the second you've attended." he replied with a smile.
"M-Muneshige has kept me thoroughly updated on what transpires at these meetings!" she stammered, "I don't need to be present to know that it doesn't make a difference!"
From within the walls, she saw all of the warlords slowly exit the room. As Lord Kenshin rose and walked past her, his Gallade's head turned to her, eyes glowing violet. She ducked down to avoid it, not knowing if that would do anything or not. Couldn't psychic Pokemon just sense your presence? After a while, nothing happened, and the room had gone silent. She braved another look through the crack in the wall, and saw a vacant room. It seemed that all of the warlords had left. Now she'd hopefully be safe to leave. She glanced towards her escape briefly, and when she turned her head back to double check that the coast was clear…
She found herself face-to-face with a purple figure, staring at her with a giant pair of glowing yellow eyes.
Screaming wasn't something that came easy to her, even in startling situations. Rather, the way her body chose to react to the being in front of her was to lock up, grit her teeth, and inhale a sharp breath of air through her mouth. The violet Pokemon came closer, phasing through the wall, and she fell onto her back in shock. It was the Mismagius of Spectra's warlord. It floated closer, and loomed over her in a most foreboding way. She froze, not knowing what to do. If she tried to run, she was sure the ghost-type would attack. If she stayed put, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be found out. Through the fog of panic clouding her mind, her first instinctual reaction told her to speak.
"...Hi." she whispered out in a voice barely audible to her own ears. "Aren't you… pretty."
What the HELL are you doing, talking to it?! She internally raged at herself. What good do you think that's gonna do, idiot?! It can't understand a damn word you say! Even if it could, the hell would calling it pretty do?! Make your death painless?
The ghost gazed at her for a moment longer, yellow eyes boring deep into her, before ultimately letting out a mischievous snicker and turning around to phase back through the wall. The girl was only brave enough to raise her head and see if it had truly gone. She let the encounter sink in. There was no way that she had survived being discovered by a warlord's Pokemon. She struggled to push herself up to her knees, arms and legs still trembling after the encounter.
"There you are, Mismagius." she heard the voice of Spectra's warlord come through the wall, "Where did you disappear to just now?"
Screw this. She'd risked her life enough today. To hell with stealth, she was making a run for it. Scrambling for the ladder, she descended into the secret tunnels, and then bolted towards the other side. She could freak out over the fact that she had just witnessed a warlords' conference once she was far away from the castle. A castle that she vowed to herself she would never spend the night in again!
It's so good to be finished with this one; it gave me quite a bit of trouble. But there are certain parts of it I enjoy, so hopefully you do as well. For some reason, I like to keep my chapters under 11,000 words, so a small part of this chapter got cut off, but it'll mesh well with chapter 3. This story's already off to a great start. Chapter 1 ended up being shorter than I thought it would be, and now I have to cut part of Chapter 2 when I expected to have trouble reaching 10,000 words! That's a good sign...
I'm gonna get to work on Chapter 3 now. It'll be fun to write that one. Next chapter will have my favorite warlords exploring Yaksha's capital city, and finally meeting a certain trespasser in person. I'll also finally be introducing some characters very dear to my heart, so there's that to look forward to. Until then, I bid you adieu. Farewell 'til next time! R&R at your leisure.