A grim sight has been seen. The Grass Flower, spirit of all things Grass, has been stolen thanks to dark designs. As a direct result, Medow, guardian of Grass, has been removed from existence. It is with heavy heart and soul that the group return to Castle Town, to tell Justyn of the news.
"Hey there, Darien," Stanley said. Darien looked up, and curtly nodded.
"Aw, why so serious, Darien? You have beautiful girls swarming over you!" Stanley said.
"…I don't care much about that. They're my friends, nothing more. Besides, our homes were destroyed. I don't find that particularly enjoyable," Darien said.
"Aw… well, I suppose that's reasonable enough," Stanley said.
"So what of you? Any tragic stories?" Darien asked.
"Well, doesn't that sound tactless? It's all right, I don't really mind. I didn't have much in the way of a tragic past. All that really happened to me was that I was once a mercenary for Justyn, before eventually moving on to other things. Found a Timburr and a Machop with good potential as scrappers, and taught them to scrap," Stanley said.
"…I like you. You're tolerable…" Darien said.
"And you're a little odd," Stanley said.
"Of course I am. I'm told I'll mature with evolution," Darien said.
"Sure you will. Once you evolve, let me know what you think of the girls," Stanley said.
"…Because of course I'm going to want to make Ralts, Buneary and Latias babies. Only one of those can happen, and it's not the one I promised," Darien said, rolling his eyes.
"Serena… is that your name?" Melody asked.
"Yes. Now, if it's not too rude of me… you suggested having been following us?" Serena asked.
"Oh, right… well, I heard from an old friend that a group of Typeless Ones had been captured by Justyn. I… sympathise with you. I want to accompany you. There's something… about you," Melody said.
"Vaguely creepy," Serena said.
"Don't worry, Serena. I'm not going to steal your boyfriend or anything. I have… other purposes," Melody said.
"…Well, as long as you don't want to make baby Happiny with my Darien or hurt my sisters, you're good enough in my book," Serena said.
"Lita," Amy said simply. Lita turned to her, looking at her oddly.
"Yes, Amy?" Lita asked, curious.
"Lita… I know this is a little sudden… but would you like to be Hiwaka's new den mother?" Amy asked.
"Me? The den mother? But Amber might still be out there!" Lita exclaimed.
"…Look me in the eyes, Lita, and tell me that Amber is alive," Amy said.
"…Amber is alive. I know she is," Lita said, looking right into Amy's eyes.
"…Was not expecting that… Lita, it's nice to be idealistic, especially concerning your past, but please, be realistic. If Amber hasn't shown herself by now, she's probably dead," Amy said.
"…You're a horrible sister, Amy. Of course Amber can't find us: we were kidnapped on the way. She's not going to be making a stop to Justyn's for no good reason. She's probably still on the run from the Dark-types. Besides, Braixen, if you're so sure she's dead, why don't you be den mother? Your dark and depressing past isn't holding you back," Lita said, storming off. Amy watched her go, clueless as to what she did wrong.
Darien was watching everyone pack up and prepare to go, when he heard a whoosh at his ear. He turned around, to see nothing. He revolved on the spot relatively quickly, catching a pink shape. He looked closely at it, to notice it was a Clefairy. Somewhat: the corners of the face looked poorly done. He should know: one of his old friends was a Clefairy.
"What do you want of us?" Darien asked.
"You were there… when the Grass disappeared. You were there… when the traces of Grass came to a girl… a girl… a boy… your destiny and the destiny of this land are intertwined, young Riolu…" the Clefairy said.
"Oh, great, so we are the Typeless in the prophecy," Darien said, groaning.
"Precisely… travel to the Olden Shrine… The great Xerneas left his prophecy there… for the benefit of hero and heroine alike…" the Clefairy said. It vanished as it had arrived: without warning, with a whoosh, and in a direction Darien couldn't trace. It was clear that the Clefairy had no intention of lingering, revealing herself, or even so much as stealing their food.
"What was that?" Serena asked, walking up to him.
"A Clefairy… Serena, we're making a stop elsewhere. We need to go to a place called the Olden Shrine. Apparently," Darien said.
"…Madeline? You heard of any 'Olden Shrine'?" Serena asked.
"Yeah! If we need to go there, it's on the way back to the castle!" Madeline said.
"…Good thing it was convenient. If it was on the other side of the castle, we'd have a hard time convincing anyone to come along," Serena said. Darien laughed at that one.
Had they not been looking for it, the Olden Shrine would have been completely overlooked. Ancient ruins were well known for being drab, crumbling and mossy, but even that blended in well with the forests surrounding this one. This shrine was clearly less maintained and older than those found in the Legendary Shrine. Darien entered the room, followed by Serena.
"Hey… it's that Riolu kid that interfered with us last time!" a sandy voice said. Serena jumped, and Darien turned. A Krookodile was standing in the room. Serena sent a few leaves forward, illuminating the room sufficiently to see the Sandile, Krokorok and Krookoodile.
"Pitiable fools… they must suspect our plans. Krookodile, Krookodile… where can you be? Sifting through the sands, smiling up at me?" a voice, whose author was hiding somewhere Serena's magical leaves did not illuminate. Her voice sent the Krookodile and family into a snapping frenzy. A line of Sandile charged at the couple, only for Serena's Magical Leaf to pass by their cheeks. This dazed them long enough for Serena to form a Disarming Voice to launch at the opponents, blasting them back, and tripping more than a few of the others.
"…When did you get good at this?" Darien asked.
"You trained me. Remember?" Serena asked. Before Darien could contradict her, Serena had jumped into the air. Spinning around with elegance, she created several Magical Leaves, launching them into the horde of Krokorok. She landed, knocked her hair aside, and performed the movements needed for Magical Leaf. The Krokorok laughed, bracing themselves. Serena smiled, and pulled the Magical Leaves to herself. They shot into the Krokorok's backs. A pair of Krookodile approached Serena, and Darien jumped forward. One, two, both Krokorok were put down by a healthy Force Palm apiece.
A hiss sounded at that moment. Darien and Serena looked around, and noticed a trio appear from a hidden part of the Shrine.
"Who are they?" the Skorupi asked.
"They seem to be fighting these thieving sand-thieves," the Golbat suggested.
"…That's what they're doing? I don't help people… but they're bothering me… decisions, decisions…" the Persian said.
"…Well, I do," the Skorupi said. It charged forward, using its X-Scissor attack on several Krokorok and Krookodile, striking where they were weakest. Darien watched the Skorupi go, eventually making its way to the Scizor.
"A Skorupi? Steel is immune to Poison, and I don't think your Bug is going to do much," the Scizor said.
"Oh yeah? You clearly don't know a thing about me!" the Skorupi said. He charged forward, used his X-Scissor, and jumped back. Halfway through the movement, he changed his mind, and used a Night Slash. Before the Scizor could do more than gasp in shock, Skorupi had used a Cross Poison. His attack did, in fact, deal damage.
"This is… retreat! Retreat!" the Scizor said. The Skorupi watched them flee, before turning to Darien and Serena.
"Name's Jadit," the Skorupi said.
"Nice to meet you," Darien remarked.
"We are his associates. My name is Loot, and his is Davuth," the Golbat said, approaching them.
"Nice to meet you," Serena said.
"…Could we join you? Davuth's been getting a little rude and such, and well… you look like a tolerable bunch," Jadit said.
"Scratch that, Jadit. We are joining them. This is the group Melody saw," Loot said.
"You're tracking them?" Davuth asked. He looked at the pair.
"…Fine, I'll come. But only if you pay," Davuth said.
"Fine, don't come," Darien said, looking up for the secret.
"…You called my bluff," Davuth said, annoyed. The three odd Pokémon left, to be replaced by Luna.
"…Who were they? And what happened in here? We heard noises…" Luna said.
"A battle between us and the Sandile line. Those three helped out… possibly," Serena said.
"If you heard the noises, why didn't you jump in?" Darien asked.
"…Well… we thought that maybe they were… you know…" Luna said.
"Serena? Does everyone think we're a couple?" Darien asked, turning to Serena.
"Wait, we're not?" Serena asked. "…Something's telling me that training session we had was completely imagined."
"You think? Also, in the most sacred of sacred spots? We're ignorant, but not that ignorant!" Darien said.
"... … … …Hey, what did that say?" Luna asked, shooting to the ceiling and reading a few characters that were completely indecipherable to Darien or Serena. Darien considered that a valid topic change.
"The maze of infinite darkness, a pit of immense import, in there the types will be united, unless the great warrior is thwart… he with the strength to take down, his might will be her heart, no trinket needed, no love lost, so little, and yet power in many a part…" Luna read.
"The prophecy that made Justyn hate us," Darien said.
"There's more... that's a really… Artemis?" Luna cried out. Artemis came into the room, and spotted Luna near the ceiling characters. He approached them, and repeated the prophecy. He continued.
"Two heroes, special in might, fight for the heart of their home, master the power of many a type, train by heart, not by tome. Tough going leads to darkness, knight and dame will pierce, the heart of a dame is powerful, and the soul of a hero fierce," Artemis read. Darien and Serena looked between each other.
"…So… we were very definitely the heroes of the prophecy, not the villains?" Darien asked.
"Looks like it. It also sounds like that you will gain the powers of all eighteen types between you," Artemis said.
"…Learn more than four moves at once? That's simply not done!" Darien said.
"I can barely remember the two!" Serena added.
"Au contraire, Kirlia of heart and Riolu of soul… four moves is merely an arbitrary restriction we used in fights. If you want to take down Malachus, you'll need to accept the ability to master more," Artemis said.
"…I'm going to be a fighter…" Serena said.
"And once Malachus is gone and we're both evolved, we're abandoning this kingdom and growing old together," Darien said.
"…For a Baby, you do know what to say…" Serena said. Darien turned his head, and Serena realised it was not her place to pry. The four left the shrine, understanding the lessons that had been taught.