Guest Stars:
N as En
Anthea as Thea
Concordia as Cordia
Alder as Anthes
Chapter 22:
The Prince of Pokémon
Sora opened his eyes to see utter devastation bathed in blood red light. Wherever he was, it lay in ruins. There were humongous cracks in the ground splitting the earth open, homes lay in rubble all the way down to the foundation, and any bodies of water were reduced to dry rock beds. Strewn throughout, to the guardian's horror, were corpses of both people and Pokémon alike. Adults, children, everything lay in mangled heaps all around.
Sora could feel his breath hasten at the sight. What had happened to everyone? Who, or what, could have done this? Then another thought struck: what of his friends and family? Looking around, Sora soon spotted a craggy spire separate from everything else. On it lie the bodies of those he cared for. Everyone lay on the spire, face up with horror etched in their lifeless faces. Yet, there was one person resting atop it all with their back to him. And it was that person Sora felt relieved to see.
But when he was making his way over, his body felt like it was running through some kind of sludge. It was a struggle going forward, his movements slowed to a crawl as he rushed to the individual. What was going on? Why was he experiencing this? Sora tried to call out, but there was no sound to come. His voice was failing him.
If you value your friends, you will stop, a voice echoed around him, if you do not, this will be your fate. With this destruction on your hands. The next thing Sora saw were blood-red eyes accompanying a shadow, and sharp claws came down on him.
Sora awoke with a start, his breathing fast-paced. He looked around to find himself in his bed, with Pikachu and Larvitar nestled beside him on either side. He sighed as he started to calm down.
"Just a dream," he told himself. Even so, the contents of the dream disturbed him quite a bit. Those blood-red eyes that loomed over him were a frightening sight just to be sure. But he didn't seem to understand something: why was Rina sitting on top of that hill covered in corpses?
The following morning, the crew finally arrived at a rather large island that was the Isolated Kingdom. Though it was a far cry from any kingdom they knew, as it was just a thick forest as far as the eye could see. There was no evidence of any human settlements, not even a house on the coast. Yet this was where Sora's fourth Chieftain battle would take place.
Making landfall with everyone else, Sora looked around and reached out with his aura. He sensed an abundance of life here, far more than any place he had gone to. It amazed him to see this much life here, while also making him a little curious about the kind of Chieftain he would face.
Appearing out of nowhere, and startling most of the other crew members, Violet told them, "I'll go in and scout for the Chieftain's whereabouts." Before she could even take a step, Lucario came in-between her and a Flamethrower and Shadow Ball attack, countering them with its Aura Sphere. It maintained a guarded stance as the attackers came out of the tree line. There were two Pokémon, Darmanitan and Zorua, who kept firm gazes on the crew as three humans came up behind them. As they stepped out of the shadows, their figures became clear.
Two figures were women. Both had hair that went down their backs reaching their ankles, one peach red and one blond with two bits sticking up like leaves on a tree sprout. Both wore simple white dresses and cloaks, and were barefoot. The one in the middle was a man with light-green hair that extended past his shoulders, a long cloak draped over his shoulders and covering his torso, simple white pants and was barefoot.
The man fixed a hard gaze upon the group, and ordered, "Leave. Now!" His words startled the group.
I was then Sparky asked innocently, "But why?"
"You are trespassing," the man answered coldly.
Sora stepped forward and proclaimed, "I am Aura Guardian Sora of Trinity Island. I have come to answer the summons of the Island Chieftains. I have defeated three of them at present, and wish to challenge the one said to reside here." The three stared down at the guardian upon his proclamation, as if scrutinizing the boy. Pikachu's cheeks sparked in response, and Larvitar was giving a hard look in return.
After a minute, the man told them, "The challenge has been revoked." A collective gasp spread throughout the crew, and even the mermaids watching were shocked.
"Revoked?!" Teller challenged, "but the Chieftain's sent the challenge—"
"The decision to challenge must be unanimous among all the Cheiftains," the man interrupted, "however, I do not acknowledge nor accept this challenge. Thus, your challenge has been ended."
"But that can't be." Prince Pewter said in disbelief, "the letter—"
"I will not repeat myself." At his words, more and more Pokémon came out of the woods, all giving threatening glares at the crew. "Leave, and never return." Disbelief still rang across the group. They had been led here by the last Chieftain, Peri. How could this man deny Sora the right to battle? Sora observed the hostility the Pokémon were giving them, and the defensive nature his Pokémon were giving.
"Very well," Sora spoke up, "we shall leave. We apologize for disrespecting your sanctuary." Just about everyone stood aghast at those words. But no one could start to challenge hum, not even his own Pokémon. One by one, the group returned to the Aura, as the man and his party slipped back into the woods. As they weighed anchor, Sora looked back, then looked down with a determined expression. However, his behavior did not go unnoticed.
As the Isolated Kingdom began to shrink behind them, Drake could only seethe at how events had played out. Whoever those people were, they should not have been able to halt their progress in the Chieftain's challenge. They had the declaration, so there should be no reason Sora couldn't battle this Chieftain. His frustration reached a fever pitch as he let out a great roar of anger.
"Whoa Captain, you okay?" Kenneth inquired as he came up to the helm.
Letting out a defeated sigh, Drake answered, "No, I'm not alright. This isn't right! Soraa was challenged, and this one… nature boy says they decline?!"
"Well what can we do? Salure Island is a good month's trip back in this wind. We can't ask Peri about it." Drake knew his first-mate was right, but that didn't make it any easier to take.
Before he could vent further, Prince Pewter rushed on deck and shouted, "Yolanda is missing!" At this, all activity on the ship on the ship stopped.
"What do you mean?" Tidus inquired as he, Poochyena, and Ralts rushed on deck.
Turning to the apprentice, Pewter answered, "I went to her room to discuss sending a royal challenge against the Chieftains, and I found it empty. And she isn't in Sora's room either."
"It's more than that, my prince," Violet told him as she descended in front of him, "Sora and the mermaids are not on the ship either. Not even their Pokémon remain." Immediately, everyone looked back at the Isolated Kingdom, and came to a sickening conclusion.
"Captain Drake, turn us around. Full sail." The prince commanded.
"Aye highness! Coming about," Drake returned, giving the wheel a solid yank starboard. He prayed Sora had not just done something stupid, which was likely the case here.
On a shoreline some distance from where they first arrived, Sora, Pikachu, Larvitar, Rina, Azurill, Kari, and Sarah were pulling themselves up on the shore after a long swim. When the ship had pulled away from the land mass, Sora returned with the help of the mermaid sisters in his efforts to pursue his quest in the Chieftain's challenge. It had been a bit tricky arriving, because they had to avoid and Pokémon patrolling on the fringes AND keep Larvitar as dry as possible once it jumped after Sora. Now that they were ashore, the guardian was helping warm up and dry off the tyke by having him rest in his vest while Pikachu shook the water off itself.
"Well, glad we made it," Sarah spoke first, "now what do we do?"
"Obviously, we need to find that man from earlier and demand he accept Sora's challenge," Kari told her, "I just don't understand how that man can refuse the challenge in the first place."
Rina, having been fuming since the refusal, spoke out, "Who does he think he is, saying Sora can't challenge him? He's already battled three other Chieftains and earned their badges. What makes this one so special?!"
"What I want to know is why none of the other Chieftains know about this," Sora pondered aloud, "that man said that they all had to be unanimous in challenging me. If that's true, why hasn't someone like Sensei Kuro or Peri told us about this Chieftain's opposition?" The mermaids shrugged in reply. No one knew why this had happened, or what it entailed for Sora's future. This challenge was Sora's primary reason for traveling. Without it, what was he to do?
But he shook his head and declared, "We're gonna get to the bottom of this mystery, and set things right."
And how do propose to do that? came the stern voice of Lucario. The group looked to their collective right to find both it and Yolanda glaring at them, their bodies damp for some reason. That is until they noticed sand in Lucario's fur and on Yolanda's hands and feet.
"How'd you guys get here?" Sarah asked, disbelieving the sight of the two before them.
Fingering a specific spot on her belt, Yolanda answered with a huff, "W-We swam here. We knew you would come back to challenge the Chieftain again, so we abandoned ship before we got too far. We just ran into the problem of finding you."
"So, are you two here to stop us?" Rina accused.
To which Lucario replied, To the contrary, we have come to aid you. This surprised the group, but they quickly got over it. It was only natural the two would know what Sora would try, given his past actions. That still left how Yolanda was able to tread water for so long, since she wasn't as adept at swimming as Sora was.
But that inquiry didn't go anywhere when a Swoobat suddenly came and swooped over the group. It seemed agitated for some reason, but the group could tell they were the cause. Sora and Lucario moved forward to defend, gearing up for a battle.
"Boldore, I choose you!" the guardian called, and out appeared a large boulder-looking Pokémon with red spikes along the ridges of its body and three feet, with two openings for eyes on its face. Swoobat glowed pink before it released a heart-shaped blast for its Heart Stamp attack.
"Boldore, use Rock Blast!" The protrusion between its eyes glowed before it fired three blasts that countered the Heart Stamp. Lucario then surged forward, swiping away with Metal Claw and landing a solid blow. Swoobat hovered lower to the ground due to the injury, but it remained airborne and determined.
Then it launched several Air Slash discs, to which the guardian responded, "Iron Defense!" Boldore's body hardened in preparation for the oncoming attack, and it bore through with relative ease. Lucario was about to attack again, but Swoobat surprised it with a Wing Attack that knocked it away. Lucario quickly recovered, but it seemed this battle was just getting started.
Suddenly, Yolanda cried out, "Pancham, use Dark Pulse!" The panda Pokémon appeared with a flip and launched a dark blast that forced Swoobat to dodge out of the way.
Taking advantage, Sora called, "Go Boldore! Use Rock Smash!" The giant rock Pokémon jumped up and smacked down with a powerful Rock Smash. The heart-nosed bat crashed into the ground, and everyone kept their guard up for a counterattack. It seemed like the battle was over, but the two aura users didn't seem convinced. Yolanda and Pancham relaxed their postures, and that was when Swoobat acted by shooting a Heart Stamp at them. Lucario managed to get in the way, taking the hit in their stead. As it rose in the air, Sora contemplated how to go about this next bout.
But he was saved the trouble, as a wild buffalo Pokémon with a mane like an afro charged from behind and knocked Swoobat back. Following its appearance was a man with bright-red hair, dark skin, wearing a beige and green poncho and pants, standing between Sora's party and the attacking Pokémon, facing the attacker. He crossed his arms as the Pokémon Buouffalant came to his side.
Swoobat looked ready to attack again, but the man calmly ordered, "Swoobat, stand down. These people are not your enemies. Look into the eyes of their Pokémon. Can you claim they fight for these people simply because they enslaved them?" Swoobat paused at his words. It still seemed to want to attack, but it adhered to the stranger's words. The group's Pokémon continued to give fierce looks back at it, prepared to fight for their trainers. Although Azurill was huddled into Rina, and said mermaid held it close in a sort of motherly manner. It was then Swoobat saw that these people were not aggressors, and that they had complete trust in the Pokémon beside them. Satisfied, it flew away. Everyone relaxed with the crisis over. Sora thanked Boldore for its help before returning it to the Pokéstone, as did Yolanda for Pancham.
"Well," the mysterious man spoke, "I'm all for rescuing damsels in distress, but I never figured I would be rescuing mermaids." The group was stunned as he turned around, smiling like someone told him he inherited a castle. Suddnely, he zoomed over and knelt before the three mermaids, taking their hands. "A pleasure to meet you fine ladies," he spoke to them in his attempt to flirt, "Might I ask for your names?"Slightly offended at the manner he spoke to them in, Rina, Kari, and Sarah each gave him a loud 'smack' with their tails, leaving him grimacing and a reddened face. Rubbing a hand on his face to soothe it, he said, "Well, I suppose I did deserve that."
"And I believe we deserve an explanation," Yolanda demanded, "just who are you?" Everyone else gave an equally hard look, having the same thoughts as the princess. The man immediately turned serious, and told them, "Not here. Follow me." He got up and started walking into the woods, with Bouffalant standing by the mermaids and urging the group to follow. They were all a little wary of him, but Lucario assured them they could trust him, despite his peculiar behavior. Sora helped Rina and her sisters onto Bouffalant's back, then they went after the stranger.
After a bit of trekking, the group ended up at a cabin covered in ivy in the woods, a large pond next to it filled with Poliwag, Tympole, and Lotad. The man sat down by what looked like a pit fire with an iron pot over a simmering fire. The guardian helped the mermaids into the pond one at a time, then he, Yolanda, and Lucario gathered around the fire.
"Now then, for introductions," the strange man began as he tended to the fire, "my name is Anthes, and I was the Island Chieftain of the Isolated Kingdom."
"You're the Island Chieftain?!" Sora gasped.
"Was son. Was."
"Then what happened?" Sarah asked, "Who's the Chieftain now?"
Smiling softly, Anthes answered, "That is quite the tale. But it I the reason I brought you all here. For you see, the man you met was my successor due to circumstances that were beyond my control." Inspecting the fire, Anthes began to tell his tale;
"This is the story of En, the current Chieftain. When he was just a boy, En was found in the woods by a man whose name has been lost to the winds. But I have heard of one possible name he went by: Ghetsis. He took En in, raising him as his own son alongside his sisters, Thea and Cordia. But he wasn't the benevolent man he made himself out to be. He intended to use En as a figurehead king to rule their kingdom and conquer the known world. But at his coronation, En was confronted by the Pokémon of Truth and Ideals; Reshiram and Zekrom."
At that mention, Rina let out a small gasp. The others looked to her, wondering what was wrong.
"What is it Rina?" Sora asked her.
"Huh?" Rina replied, "oh, nothing. Sorry Anthes." Still, the mermaid knew that something was amiss. She remembered the talk of Truth and Ideals before, from her dream. But in the dream it was the one called Kyurem, not Reshiram or Zekrom. What could it mean?
Anthes continued,
"Reshiram and Zekrom appeared before the new king, enraged at Ghetsis's atrocities. Since En was raised by Pokémon for a time, he could understand what they said. And he was devastated to know someone he and his sisters trusted implicitly could be so conniving. The kingdom was then razed, it's people forced to flee. But no one knows if Ghetsis survived. En was rescued by Thea and Cordia, and the three drifted the ocean for some time."
"How do you know all of this?" Yolanda inquired rather suddenly.
"Because I once resided in En's kingdom, when I was still Chieftain," he answered, "I found En sometime after the kingdom's fall, and brought him here to hide him and his sisters from the rest of the world."
At that point, Lucario asked strictly, If you are his benefactor, why do you hide from him?
Anthes let out a tired sigh from the Pokémon's question, and then explained, "I did try to help him, but he was very resentful after being told the one person he trusted was using him. About a week ago, he challenged me to become Chieftain. And he succeeded."
"So that's why he refused the challenge, and why we didn't hear about it before we arrived," Sora summed up.
"Aye," Anthes confirmed, "En does not trust any humans aside from his sisters. It is how it has been since that fateful day."
While the group entered a state of quiet contemplation, Rina spoke out, "That doesn't justify what he has done." Gaining everyone's attention, she elaborated, "Humans can be pretty vile. I know this fairly well myself. But I have also seen the good humans have done. I've seen more humans with far nobler hearts and passions than I have evil ones. En can't justify not trusting humans based on that alone."
Resting a hand on her shoulder, Kari reasoned, "But Rina, we were born never to trust humans. En found out about this betrayal after trusting someone for so long. It's no wonder he does not trust anyone now."
"I think Rina has a point though," Yolanda came in with surprising conviction, "he's letting one man decide for him how the world is. A true verdict would be better founded on more than one."
Perhaps among human civilizations, Lucario countered, but En lived among Pokémon, who are more often ruled by absolutes. Thus, it is no surprise he feels this way. Sora found that Lucario had a very strong point. Pokémon rarely ran into the kinds of problems humans dealt with, such as deception and corruption. They would live strictly on merit alone, no matter what came of it in the end. If En grew up like Anthes claimed, that was how he and his sisters lived by.
"Even still, Anthes was the one to challenge Sora, not En," Sarah argued, "so this decision to not battle Sora is childish. Not to mention he already beat Akito, Peri, and one other Chieftain. Stopping the challenge now isn't fair, to Sora or anyone else." At that claim, Anthes looked to the guardian, and spotted the three badges on his staff. He smiled, seeing a way to rectify the matter.
"There might be a way to get En to reconsider," he spoke as he prepared the stew for his guests. When everyone turned their attention to him, he explained, "Since Sora has three badges already, he can declare a summons. Then, all the Chieftains would have to convene to decide whether the challenge continues or ends. But with three badges already, odds are they will side with Sora on this one." He then passed out the meal he prepared, and everyone dug in. Well, all except for Sora, which worried Pikachu and Larvitar. He looked to be lost in his own world; eyes closed and breath steady. It worried the others once they noticed he hadn't spoken for a while now. But the mood was about to take a sudden turn.
"I thought I ordered you to leave my kingdom," came En's voice. The party looked out to the forest to see the supposed prince coming up to them, flanked by his sisters and a large gathering of wild Pokémon. "I see humans still connive and lace their words with poison, as they always do," he added scornfully.
Ticked off by the insinuation, Kari shouted, "Beg your pardon! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a mer—"
But she was interrupted when her sisters shoved her face into the water, chiding, "Are you out of your mind?!"
"I was already made aware of you mermaids when you first arrived," En informed, "though I must inquire why you let these humans live rather than have them drowned."
While still holding Kari down, Sarah answered, "Because unlike you, we don't just decide a human's fate on the spot without reason."
"That's right!" Rina added, letting Kari come up, "and unlike you, we at least learned about these humans we consider our friends."
"Friends with humans?" En questioned.
To which Rina declared, "Yes we are. And in the name of that friendship, I challenge you to a battle." With the gauntlet thrown, the stage was set.
Having observed it all, Anthes spoke, "Well En, what will it be? The girl isn't human, so I doubt you'll have a problem accepting her challenge."
"Hold your tongue," Thea scolded.
"You should be grateful brother hasn't cast you out when you lost," Cordia added.
But to their surprise, En replied, "I accept. And should I win, you and your 'friends' shall leave and never return."
"Fine! But should I win, you will honor Sora's challenge," Rina returned.
"And why would you ask for that?" the prince questioned, "why ask for something like that, rather than give him the symbol of his victory?"
Looking back to the guardian, she answered, "Because knowing him like I do, he will not accept victory unless he and his Pokémon earn it themselves. Whatever they achieve, they achieve together."
"Pika Pika," Pikachu cried in affirmation.
En didn't seem moved by his words, and simply said, "Then let the battle commence."
There was no preparation or change in scenery. The battle would take place right where they were. Determined, Rina tapped her pearl to summon her ally. "Rina calls Corsola," she called. And out came her coral Pokémon, looking eager to battle.
For En, all he did was throw out his arm, and a strange Pokémon that had a yellow bottom with what looked like a claw and black wings came down, its appearance looking like something from an ancient and foreign civilization. "Sigilyph will fight for me," he proclaimed. With that, the battle began.
"Corsola, Tackle attack!" Rina called first. Corsola darted towards Sigilyph at high speed like a rocket. Yet despite its speed, Sigilyph floated to the side and dodged the attack easily.
"Calm Mind," En instructed. A mysterious glow overtook the flying Pokémon as it gathered power. Once it landed, Corsola commanded it to use Tackle again. The result was a repeat of the first instance.
So she then called, "Spike Cannon!" And Corsola pointed its horns at Sigilyph, firing a volley of shots. But En still commanded it to use Calm Mind, enduring the attack.
"Why isn't En attacking?" Yolanda wondered irritably, "it should have enough strength to strike back."
"Maybe En is preparing for a powerful attack, like a Hyper Beam or something," Kari offered her thoughts.
I fear you may be right about that, Lucario voiced his own concerns. That sent out a foreboding feeling of dread among the group.
But in the battle, Rina called, "Use Tackle one more time!" Corsola rocketed one more time, but still failed to even glance Sigilyph. And once more, Sigilyph used Calm mind to increase its power.
"It is time," En spoke suddenly.
Concerned, Rina demanded, "Time for what?"
Rather than answer, En ordered, "Use Stored Power!" And Sigilyph released a massive energy beam towards the coral Pokémon.
"Corsola, Mirror Coat!" Rina called out desperately. Corsola immediately conjured a red barrier around itself, and took on the attack with all its might. Rina and the others hoped the Mirror Coat would redirect the attack at double the damage, thereby finishing Sigilyph in one blow. But reality was a cruel mistress, as cracks slowly formed in the barrier. Corsola seemed to be struggling against the energy too, which did not sit well with the group. And finally, the energy shattered the barrier, and struck its target in a massive explosion.
Everyone except for Anthes, En, and even Sora shielded themselves from the shockwave, bracing themselves against the explosion. When it cleared, Corsola was greatly injured and barely hanging on.
Acting fast, Rina cried out, "Corsola, use Recover!"
"Psywave," En commanded apathetically. Before it could even begin to restore its strength, Sigilyph struck with a pink and blue wave, knocking Corsola into the air.
"Corsola!" Rina shouted. At her call, Sora leaped into action, jumping to catch the coral Pokémon. When he landed, he took notice to it having fainted.
"The battle is finished," En declared. He held his hand out to the party, and ordered, "Now leave this place. And never. Come. Back." The others were terrified, while Anthes seemed to be grieving. He really had hoped this group could change En's ways, especially the mermaids. Seems his adopted son was doomed to this path.
That is until, "We will not." The words came from the guardian in the middle of the battlefield.
Narrowing his eyes, En asked with a growl, "You show more of humanity's avarice?"
Staring back with a powerful fire in his eyes, Sora returned, "No. I show you something you missed."
Glaring, En proclaimed, "The battle has ended in my victory. Have I perchance not read the outcome to your satisfaction?"
"You ignorant child!" Sora declared, shocking everyone present. Before the prince could retort, the guardian scolded, "You say you can talk to the hearts of Pokémon, but you have shown nothing but a fallacy. If you truly hear the hearts of Pokémon, then tell me what Corsola was saying in the moment it took Sigilyph's attack. Tell me now!" En, his sisters, and Anthes were flabbergasted. Here was this boy calling the prince ignorant, and demanded an answer from a particular moment in the battle.
Thea and Cordian looked to their brother, who replied, "Are you saying you can hear their hearts as much as I can? Perhaps you should tell us what you heard." Sora then turned around and walked over to Rina before giving Corsola back to her.
"When I was listening," he spoke as he rose up, "I heard Sigilyph pity Corsola. And Corsola felt ashamed, desperately apologizing to Rina." Turning around, he continued, "And I heard Pangoro say how pointless the battle was. Mienshao wondered why this was even done in the first place. Chansey was worried for Corsola, and Unfezant felt like wanting to jump in had you not called for this battle."
Looking up to En with a hard gaze, he argued, "You say you can hear the hearts of Pokémon, but do you truly hear them? Or do you muffle your ears to the cries that do not affirm your beliefs about humanity's evil?" A murmur rose among the Pokémon as they were stunned by Sora's words. It even seemed that some of them were unhappy with En himself. The prince was at a loss for words. This boy heard such things and he didn't? It had to be a lie, since he had been raised by Pokémon. He knew them intimately, as a family.
"Guardian Sora makes a fair argument En," Anthes spoke up seriously, "you've let the pain Ghetsis gave you cloud your judgement, and your heart. Only one truly open to the hearts of Pokémon and people can look beyond himself, or herself, to truly see the world."
En grit his teeth at that, declaring, "I shall prove I hear the hearts of Pokémon better than you, human. I shall take your challenge. And when I win, you will be executed for this heresy." Rina and Yolanda felt their breaths catch in their throats. Sora, executed?!
Before they could voice a protest, Sora replied, "I accept. My Pokémon and I will show you what you conceal from yourself."
"Pikachu," Pikachu added fiercely.
"Lar Larvitar," Larvitar contributed.
With the stakes set, the battle could commence at last.
Rina: Sora can only battle with Pokémon En chooses.
Yolanda: That's not fair! He's putting him at a disadvantage.
Rina: And if he loses, En will execute him. *gasp* No, Sora!
Yolanda: Sora!
Next time,
One who Hears the Hearts of All