A Dragon's Tail
Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance
Intermission I-5: Distant Sand
Symmetria, the Land of Equilibrium, was the last major continent in this world, the World of Pokemon, that was still inhabited by Pokemon. This continent was created when the three major continents, Mytherel, the Land of Legend, Luminus, the Land of Light, and Origia, the Land of Origin, were merged together at the end of War of the God III, creating a single continent of Symmetria. During the 150 years of its existence, the continent of Symmetria had passed through many hardships. The most notable 'hardship' that the continent of Symmetria had endured was the Fallen Crisis, which occurred 33 years before the current year. The Fallen Crisis had left Symmetria a huge scar by distorting its land mass and turning the Land of Equilibrium into what they were today. However, during these last three years, the seven nations of Symmetria had been facing several 'changes', but most of them could never be considered to be positive…
After the death of Pontifex Hawkins, the role of the ruler of the Theocracy of Venturnome was left empty, and the next Pontifex of the holy land was none other than the mysterious crown prince of Venturnome. However, after the coronation day, the new Pontifex of Venturnome rarely appeared in the publish, and he left most duties as a Pontifex to his mother, Archsage Iris, who also worked as his regent. The new Pontifex, however, always kept himself in his private quarter. No one knew what he was trying to do, including his mother, and when being asked, he always gave out a cryptic answer. And so, while the outskirt of the holy land may seem peaceful and nice, such as the Solar Village that was guarded by a vigilante group consisting of the new leader of Solar Village Dojo, the daughter of the magistrate, and two children of the Archbishop, everyone knew that the situation in the capital city wasn't moving toward the good path. The lack of strong leadership that the Theocracy of Venturnome were facing would soon lead the holy land into its darkest time, and the situation would even turn worse when the death of Archsage Iris was discovered…
The Principality of Leafburg was currently on the blink of another Succession War after the death of Daimyo Augustine one year ago. His last words told that he would leave the forest nation in the paw of the one with his blood. However, apparently, Daimyo Augustine didn't have any child, and he was never married. However, it was soon discovered after his death that Daimyo Augustine was having a wife before he ascended to the throne of Leafburg, and while his wife was already dead, it was also discovered that he and his wife also had a child with each other. This led to the search of Daimyo Augustine's lost child. The search led them to the discovery that his child, like his wife, was already dead, as they found her body being buried in an abandoned berry farm in the Forezon Village to the north of the capital, which was where she was working after she fled from the capital during the War of Jasmine. However, while the only daughter of Daimyo Augustine was already dead, it was quickly discovered that before she died, she had given birth to two sons who grew up to be the finest warriors, as well as the one who inherited the title of the Heroes of Legend, with the first son being the Hero of Bug type and the second son being the Hero of Grass type. This, however, led to a conflict of which son should inherit the throne of Leafburg. The Bug type Pokemon said that the throne should belong to the first son as he was the older and the more mature of two, but the Grass type Pokemon said that the throne should belong to the second son because he was the friendlier and the more socialize of two. The conflict soon turned even more heated as the Grass type Pokemon said that the first son, being the son of the Hokage of a hidden ninja village, must inherit the title of the Hokage of his village rather than the title of the ruler of Leafburg, while the Bug type Pokemon completely protested the idea of having the younger son as the ruler of Leafburg as he was revealed to be the son of the mysterious Tsujigiri who caused a huge chaos in the forest nation three years ago, and the blade that had taken the lives of countless residents of Leafburg was also in his possession. And when both sons were questioned, both of them refused to inherit the throne of Leafburg and insisted the other one to be the new ruler of the forest nation. All of these caused the Principality of Leafburg to almost be split into two sides of Bug type Pokemon and Grass type Pokemon after their opposite idea, and it was only a matter of time before the new Succession War emerged if the conflict didn't soon reach the conclusion.
Following his regent, the old King Leonardo of Fireview Kingdom passed away one year after the coronation of the king of the land of flame and stone, who was none other than his grandson, Prince Apollo (Who was now King Apollo). The young King Apollo, along with his twin sister, Lady Artemis, and the new guardian of the sacred volcano, was trying their hardest to rule the land of flame and stone, and they were also trying to atone for the sin that their father, Regent Orion, had committed. Their most challenging tasks was restoring the diplomatic relationship with other nations of Symmetria as Fireview Kingdom only had a strong diplomatic relationship with Dustorm Empire and not the other five nations, especially the Shadowlost Territory, due to what happened during the Bloodmoon War, but so far, it couldn't be said that their attempt on this was successful, especially with the Shadowlost Territory that still couldn't forgive the Fireview Kingdom for the crime they committed during the Bloodmoon War…
Queendom of Riverbrine had been facing the hard situation longer than any nation on the continent of Symmetria, starting with the tyrannical rule of Queen Nyxier that was soon followed by a successful rebellion to overthrow the evil queen. At first, they thought that peace would finally return to the land of ice and snow, but thing changed when the lost princess of Riverbrine had returned after she was sent to Fireview Kingdom near the end of the rebellion. The return of the princes caused another conflict as some Pokemon of Riverbrine wanted the princess to ascend to the throne as the princess was always kind and nice despite of her mother's action while some wanted to execute the princess to prevent her from being another tyrant queen as she shared the same blood as Queen Nyxier for being her daughter. Nevertheless, the throne of Queendom of Riverbrine couldn't be left empty, so for the time being, the princess was crowned as the new queen of the land of ice and water. However, the conflict still continued as there were still many that didn't accept her as the ruler of Riverbrine, but none of them even dared to do anything bad to the queen as she was always guarded by a warrior from Fireview Kingdom, who was also the same Pokemon who rescued her when she fled to the land of flame and stone. While not much was known about him except that he was an apprentice under the former Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom, he always stayed at the queen's side and guarded her from anyone who tried to hurt her. Some speculated that the new queen and her guardian had a relationship of lover with each other, but both of them had already said that they were neither in the relationship of lover, nor that they would be able to marry each other…
The Republic of Civilight was also facing a hard time following the event that occurred three years ago when the top-secret laboratory of the land of steel and thunder was detonated by the mysterious incident there. While the government was trying their hardest to conceal the news of this, their failure during the Dragon Massacre had shaken the faith that the Pokemon of Civilight had toward the government and President Voltson himself. And then, during these last three years, the hidden crimes that the government and President Voltson had committed had gradually been revealed to the publish by the anonymous group, which was recently revealed to be a group of Pokemon who were, like the rebels of Queendom of Riverbrine, trying to subvert the corrupted government of President Voltson, which was led by two Pokemon, the mysterious thief and the former pirate captain from the Riverbrine Archipelago. Right now, while the rebel group was still not strong enough to openly oppose the government, it continued to gradually grow up, and would soon be enough to overthrow the corrupt government of the land of steel and thunder and bring the new light toward the Republic of Civilight.
While the land of steel and thunder was moving toward the new light, the desert nation of Dustorm Empire, on the other hand, was moving toward the darkness, as after the day of the Dragon Massacre, the emperor of Dustorm Empire, Emperor Garland, had become more and more ruthless. He became very strict with the Pokemon of not only the Windsky Plateau but also the Dustorm Empire too. If no one dared to oppose or even question his words and action, he would immediately punish them or worse, kill them. No one would be able to stop him, not even the crown prince who was always accompanied by his retainer from the Windsky Plateau, and so did the first princess and the 'second' prince who were staying in the Dustorm Empire right now. No one knew why Emperor Garland sudden became aggressive. Some speculated that it was because his youngest child, who was also the second princess of the Dustorm Empire, had gone missing since 3 years ago, but many also doubted this idea as she was never the favorite child of Emperor Garland. Nevertheless, the ruthless emperor of Dustorm Empire was now ruling his land with the iron fist, and this would continue unless someone was able to take him down…
Shadowlost Territory, unlike other six nations, didn't face with any major misfortune, and the whole nation still remained as enigmatic as ever as the land of darkness usually didn't have much relationship with the other nations due to being considered as the cursed land by many, especially those who lived in the Theocracy of Venturnome. The only misfortune that this nation had faced during these last three years was the death of Lord Noctis, the ruler of the Shadowlost Territory. And according to his will, the next ruler of the Shadowlost Territory would be the son of the current chancellor of the Shadowlost Territory. However, because the heir to the throne of Shadowlost said that he was yet ready to rule over the land of darkness, the Shadowlost Territory was now under the rule of the chancellor, who was also the mother of the heir.
In the conclusion, it could be said that during these three years, the seven nation of the continent of Symmetria were facing a dark time. No one knew why all of them were facing the dark time within these few years. However, there was one thing that some Pokemon of Symmetria knew…
The dark time that the continent of Symmetria was facing right now… was a punishment for the crime they had committed to the Valley of No Return 3 years ago…
And the punishments would never be lessened, but they would gradually become harsher and harsher…
Until they reached the point… Where they were harsh enough to break…
It had already been one week since the day that the Pendragon was found, as well as the day that the Pendragon found their team base, the underground ruins named Pendracomonium. All of them were still staying in the Pendracomonium, with some occasion that some of them left their base only to go to the Valley of No Return to hunt for food, as they were still adjusting themselves to their new life after their 'rebirth' after the Dragon Massacre, and they were still deciding on what would they do next.
"Xavier, how long before you tell us what we must do next?!" Claura asked impatiently. Right now, she was in the Meeting Room of the Pendracomonium along with Xavier and Baromyteus. All three were trying to figure out what the Pendragon should do next.
"Yawn… I already told you what to do…" Xavier yawned before continued speaking. "Our main objective was defeating the remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the Fallen Crisis, and only four of them remain. From what I know, one is in the Theocracy of Venturnome, one is in the Dustorm Empire, one is in the Shadowlost Territory, and the last one's whereabouts is still unknown. That's what you must decide. Which place would we visit next? Venturnome? Dustorm? Or Shadowlost?"
"I would say that we should go to Venturnome first." Baromyteus spoke up. "If I remember correctly, the one who is currently in the Venturnome is the weakest of all Hero/ine of Legend, so she will be our easiest target too."
"But I think we should go to the Shadowlost Territory first." Claura spoke up. "Venturnome is an easy place for us to go, but going to Shadowlost is much more challenging as none of us, not counting Snow as he doesn't remember anything, had ever been to this nation before, and the road to the land of darkness is one of the most arduous roads on this continent."
"So… You are suggesting that we should start with the hard mission first?" Xavier asked.
"Yes, because no one else knows about us, the Pendragon, so we should tackle the hard mission first, not taking the easy one first and giving our enemy a time and opportunity to prepare for our upcoming." Claura said.
"And then half of us would be dead or harshly injured by taking the hard path first." Baromyteus said. "Don't forget that there are some of us who aren't physically strong, so it may be too much for them."
"Then, why don't we go to Dustorm first?" Xavier asked. "Don't forget that Valley of No Return is located in the Dustorm Empire too, and since some of us had already been to where that emperor is right now, we can just use the warp portal to gain a quick access to that place."
"But that guy, being an emperor, is heavily guarded by his lap dogs." Baromyteus said with his arms crossed. "The one in Venturnome is just a small priestess, so she is an easy target, and for the one in Shadowlost… Considered her nature, I would say that she wouldn't need a help from any bodyguard."
"You know about them?" Claura asked.
"Don't forget that Anastasia and I once travelled with them before we… betrayed them." Baromyteus said. "But I digress. Now, let's get back to our discussion."
The Shiny Haxorus, the Kingdra and the Dragonite then got back to their discussion. However, none of them noticed that a second ago, there was someone standing on the other side of the door to the Meeting Room, and they were listening to their conversation, but if any of those inside the Meeting Room walked toward the door and opened it, they would find no one there as the one who was there had already left…
-Meanwhile… In a Private Quarter on the North Wing:
"… How is it, Onii-chan?" Rachael asked with a worried voice.
"Don't interrupt me right now, Rachael." Richard said as his attention was still focused at Sirius who was standing in front of him. Right now, Rachael and Richard were in Sirius' Private Quarter, along with the owner of the room. The reason why they were here was to check up the physical condition of the Type: Null, as it was living in the Civilight Laboratory for the whole time before the Dragon Massacre, and this was the first time that Sirius was able to live 'freely', so Richard said that the Type: Null needed a check up in order to ensure that there was no harm done to his physical condition, and if there was, the Latios would be able to fix it as he owned the data file about 'Experiment Delta'.
"… Done." Richard said as he closed the Chronicle of Darkside and the file about Experiment Delta that were used in this examination. "Your physical condition is in the topmost form, and I am quite sure that you won't have any problem living with us. However, we still can't be too sure, so we will need to keep a close eye on you, Sirius."
"…" Sirius nodded in a grateful manner to the Latios as if it wanted to thank the Latios.
"No need to thank me, Sirius." Richard said. "I just wish that I could help you more, especially about the mask that suppresses your fullest potential."
It could be clearly seen that the mask that Sirius was forced to wear not only limited his ability, but also created much discomfort and torment to its wearer. Both Rachael and Richard really wanted to help removing them, but both didn't dare to because removing it incorrectly might result in a damage to Sirius' face, so they needed to find another way to remove the mask of the Type: Null.
"The file I have doesn't hold any record about the way to remove that mask, indicating that those wretched idiots never wanted to remove that mask, as they fear that your strength after removing that helmet may be enough to break free out of their control." Richard said. "And so, we will have to find a way to remove that mask. Sirius, could you endure a bit longer?"
"…" Sirius slowly nodded to the Latios.
"Sirius…" Rachael said as she approached the Type: Null and gently touched his body. "I know that you are in pain and suffering, but please remember that, no matter what, Onii-chan and I will always help you in the way I can."
"…" Sirius gently nodded to the Latias and looked at her and her elder brother with gentle eyes.
"Now that I think about it…" Richard spoke up, turning the attention of both Rachael and Sirius to him. "There is one important thing that I need to tell both of you."
"What is it?" Rachael asked.
"It's Sirius' body." Richard said. "After the Dragon Massacre, his body—"
"PANG!"
"Sigh…" Richard let out a sigh before turning his attention to the door of the room that was just abruptly opened by another Pokemon, who was now walking into the room.
"Hey!" Rachael said and looked at the newcoming Pokemon, who was none other than Zetarus. "Why didn't you knock the door before coming in?!"
"I don't see any reason to do so." Zetarus answered nonchalantly.
"That's very mean!" Rachael said. "What if I am still dressing when you enter the room without the permission?! You could see me nake—"
"Let him go, Rachael." Richard said. "That guy never learn, so there's no point in trying to stuff the knowledge of manner and etiquette into his hollowed brain."
"Whatever you said, Richard. I never understand what you are trying to say anyway." Zetarus said. "And I am just here to see you, Richard."
"Before you say anything else, could you tell me how your hollowed brain figure out that my sister and I are in this private quarter?" Richard asked.
"If you were asking how I know that you are here, it's because I heard Rachael's and your voice from outside." Zetarus said. "I happen to be around here as I was trying to visit Freya in her room, but it seems like she isn't there. I guess she's in the Kitchen with that Lapras, preparing dinner for us right now."
"Anyway, what do you want from Onii-chan?" Rachael asked.
"Today, when I went hunting in the Valley of No Return, I went into it a bit deeper than usual." Zetarus started explaining. "… And I found a place that seems like a place that was used by those invaders as their base before they… you know."
"…" Rachael and Richard nodded in understanding of Zetarus' words, as the Pendragon had agreed not to talk about the Dragon Massacre much, especially in front of Korben, who was still suffering from that horrible tragedy more than anyone else.
"Anyway, there wasn't much there that's worth my attention... Except these." Zetarus said before he picked something up and showed them to Richard, Rachael and Sirius. "Richard, you are the cocky-know-it-all of our group, so I figure that you may know what they are."
"…" Richard received the items from the Garchomp. The items he received were several round disks that looked very much like the Technical Machines that the Latios used to teach everyone new moves, as all of them were in the different colors, but all color matched the colors of the Technical Machines. The difference between these disks and the Technical Machines was that there was a part of the disk that was a rugged area with a darker color than normal, while there was nothing like this on the Technical Machines. Moreover, when it first saw it, Sirius' eyes were glowing with a mysterious feeling, as if it knew what those disks were…
"… These disks are the Memories." Richard answered after examining the disks that were given to him for a while.
"Memories?" Rachael and Zetarus said.
"I won't go for the detail while you are here, Zetarus, because you will find it extremely boring." Richard said as he looked at the Garchomp. "And learning about them won't make your life any better anyway."
"Well… If you say so…" Zetarus said before he walked toward the door. "Then, I will catch a nap like now. Wake me up at the dinner time, okay?"
"I am not your alarm boy—" Richard immediately spoke up, but Zetarus had already left the room before he finished his words.
"Geez… That guy…" Richard mumbled to himself before turning his attention to his younger sister and Sirius. "Anyway, Rachael, Sirius, the things that Zetarus found in the Valley of No Return is called 'Memories', and for everyone else, they are quite useless. However, for Sirius, they are very valuable."
"For Sirius?" Rachael looked at the Type: Null beside her before turning her attention back to her elder brother. "Do these things have anything to do with Sirius?"
"Normally, they will allow Sirius to change its type from its initial type to the type that matches the Memory that was given to it." Richard explained. "Such as the Fighting Memory will change its type into a Fighting type Pokemon, and the Dark Memory will change its type into a Dark type Pokemon."
"Wow!" Rachael said. "That would make Sirius a very versatile Pokemon, as it was able to turn into any type of Pokemon!"
"… Unfortunately…" Richard continued speaking. "In order for these Memories to work, Sirius must be without that mask, as that mask is suppressing his ability to use these Memories right now."
"Aww…" Rachael said with a disappointed voice before changing back to the happy one as she turned her attention to Sirius. "But don't worry, Sirius! Soon, we will be able to remove that mask, and you will be able to make a good use of these Memories!"
"…" Sirius nodded to the Latias.
"… I hope that it would be as simple as that…" Richard mumbled after hearing the words of his sister.
"Hm? Did you say anything, Onii-chan?" Rachael turned her attention to her brother.
"… Nothing, Rachael." Richard said.
"Then, I will go downstairs and help Snow and Freya make dinner!" Rachael said and turned her attention to Sirius. "Sirius, you don't have to go out and hunt by your own! You can just stay here, and then I will—"
"…" Before Rachael was able to finished her words, Sirius nodded to the Latias in the manner of apologize before it dashed up toward the door and quickly left his room.
"Sirius…" Rachael said as he looked at the door after the Type: Null had already left. "Such a poor creature… Why?"
"… Sirius is just trying to do what it thinks that's the best thing to do right now, considered… You know." Richard said. "Anyway, I will go back to my room and read the Chronicle of Darkside a bit more. Rachael, I'll see you at the Dining Hall at the dinner time, okay."
"Okay!" Rachael said before she and her brother left Sirius' room together.
A Few Hours Later…
In the Dining Hall of the Pendracomonium, 11 Pokemon were gathering there to have dinner as it was dinner time. Like the meals during the past week, the dinner time of the Pendragon was quite 'lively' as many things happened during this time. First, the food that was served by Snow and others was always heavenly, as not only Snow's skill at cooking was top-notch, but he was also capable of adjusting the taste and the style of the food to matched each Pokemon's preference, such as Rachael who loved sweet food or Richard who preferred sour food (Snow would use the sour berries such as Nomel Berry in Richard's food and used the sweet berries such as Magost Berry in Rachael's food). The talk and action during dinner was also lively too, as it was common for Claura and Baromyteus to start another argument with each other. (However, from other's point of view, they saw their quarrel as just a bickering of a husband and a wife. None of them, of course, ever dared to say this to the Kingdra and the Shiny Haxorus.) But if she wasn't bickering with Baromyteus, Claura would spend her time during the meal by having a chat with other girls in the group, Rachael, Freya and Anastasia, which usually lasted even longer that the meal time, and they would continue their chat while they were bathing. Xavier usually spoke with Richard during the meal to exchange their knowledge (and sarcasm), and they were sometimes joined by Korben, Snow (after he had finished serving the food to everyone) and Baromyteus (when he wasn't bickering with Claura). Zetarus and Diego rarely joined the male's conversation as both usually didn't have enough knowledge to understand what other (especially Richard) was talking about. The only one who was missing during the meal was Sirius, who usually went to Valley of No Return to hunt for food and have its meal there by itself as it didn't want to have meal with everyone and upset them, especially Korben.
Other than Sirius, the others who were not present during the meal were the gargoyles, including Ryugan, as they were just lifeless stone statues that were brought to life with the magic, so there were no need for them to consume food as the magic that controlled them were the source of their energy.
After dinner, Snow and Freya would wash dishes and others would go back to their rooms. Some of them would take a bath now while some would do something else, such as Rachael would go back to the Greenhouse to check the trees that she grew once more or Korben who would go to the Training Ground and meditate. The activities of the Pendragon after dinner would continue until about 23:00, when everyone would finish their stuff and went back to their room, including Sirius who usually came back from Valley of No Return during this time.
But tonight, after 23:00, someone else was still up as they were still working on their work…
"…" Inside the forge, a Mega Charizard X was still there. He was now working with his work. No one knew what he was working on, as he kept this as a secret from everyone, despite that everyone knew that he was now working on something.
"… I think this is it for today…" Diego said as he put down his working tool on the table and walked toward the door of the Forge in order to go back to his room. However, as he opened the door of the Forge, he found that there was someone already standing on the other side of the door.
"Zetarus?" Diego said as he closed the door behind him after he left the Forge and entered the main hall, where the Garchomp was standing right in front of him. "What are you doing here at the time like this?"
"… I have something that I want to talk with you, Diego." Zetarus answered with his arms crossed before turning toward the stair that led to Floor B3. "… Come with me. We will talk in my room."
"… Fine." Diego nodded to the Garchomp as he slowly followed the Garchomp upstairs.
-A Few Minutes Later…
Zetarus led the Mega Charizard X into his room, which was opposite of Diego's room. As the Garchomp closed the door after both of them had already entered the room, the Mega Charizard X could sense a hint of seriousness from the Garchomp, as his action from when he met him a few minutes ago when he left the Forge until now wasn't the Garchomp's usual demeanor, which meant that…
"… What do you want to talk with me?" Diego asked as the Garchomp turned his attention toward him. Right now, as the Mega Charizard X looked into the eyes of the Garchomp, he could no longer see the same peppy and lively sparkle that Zetarus usually had, but it was the sparkle of seriousness and emptiness, just like the first time that both of them met each other over three years ago.
"… I have already decided." Zetarus started speaking with a serious voice. "… Tonight is the night that I will finish the mission of my lifetime."
"… Do you mean that…" Diego said.
"… After we finished speaking, I will leave for the Desert Palace of the Dustorm Empire." Zetarus continued speaking. "I will go back to that place and finish what I intend to do; to kill the emperor of the Dustorm Empire."
"… Do you really intend to do it now?" Diego asked with his arms crossed.
"Yes." Zetarus gave out a firm answer.
"Then, we have nothing else to speak." Diego said. "Let's go, Zetarus. The sooner we finish, the better."
"Wait, are you going to come with me?" Zetarus asked with a hint of surprising in his voice.
"Of course." Diego said. "Don't forget that we make a deal to help each other, and you have already finished your end of the bargain, so it's time for me to finish mine."
"… Won't you even ask me why I suddenly want to do this?" Zetarus said.
"Before I answer yours, answer me first." Diego said. "A while ago, it's clear that you didn't expect me to go with you, so why did you decide to tell me about this in the first place?"
"I just don't want to make you angry, as I know that you would be furious at me if I didn't tell you about this." Zetarus answered. "And moreover, if something unexpected happened and I don't come back before the sunrise, at least there will be someone who will be able to tell a bit about me. That's it."
"You want me to be your messenger?! That's what makes me angry about you." Diego said. "And for your question, I already know that you are someone who is without reason when you are in a serious situation, so I don't expect that I will learn anything if I ask."
"Fair point." Zetarus said.
"And how long will we standing here?!" Diego asked. "Move your axs! We have a Pokemon to kill!"
"Nope. Not you. Me only." Zetarus said.
"Whatever!" Diego said.
After finished their conversation, both Pokemon left Zetarus' room, and then Zetarus waited a bit for Diego to go into his room to prepare for the upcoming battle, and a few minutes later, the Mega Charizard X came back, and he was now wearing his red armor suit that he usually wore, but he took them off when he was working in the Forge. He was also holding his Silver Naginata in his paw.
"Let's go." Diego said as he closed the door of his room. "We can use the warp portal to teleport back to the Desert Palace, and then we can sneak into there."
"Yes." Zetarus nodded as he grabbed his Sniper's Eye. "But be sure not to make any noise. We can't let anyone else know what we are doing, especially Freya."
"Hm." Diego nodded before both Pokemon silently walked toward the Portal Room and entered it in order to use the warp portal to the Desert Palace of Dustorm Empire….
But then…
While Zetarus and Diego thought that as they didn't make any noise, no one would be able to see them, but both of them were wrong, as while both of them were going to the Portal Room, someone else was able to spot them…
"…" The person who saw Zetarus and Diego waited in the shadow for both of them to enter the Portal Room before they revealed themselves, who was none other than…
"Zetarus… That sparkle in your eye… That's just like…" The Pokemon mumbled to themselves after Zetarus and Diego entered the Portal Room "Don't tell me that… the time has come… The time that we…"
Without any hesitation, the Pokemon walked toward the Portal Room and waited for a bit. After hearing that both Zetarus and Diego had already warped away, the Pokemon entered the Portal Room and walked toward the warp portal before they set the destination as 'Desert Palace, Dustorm Empire' and then they enter it, and a few second later, the only Pokemon who was in the Portal Room was no longer in the room…
-Meanwhile… At the Desert Palace…
Desert Palace was the biggest structure located in the Dustorm City, the capital of Dustorm Empire. The palace could be divided into three sections. The first one was the main hall that was located in the center, which was also where the foyer and the throne room of the Desert Palace were located. The other two sections were the East Wing and the West Wing. Both wings consisted of several rooms, including the private quarters of the royal siblings on the East Wing and the private quarters of the emperor and the empresses on the West Wing. Other than all of this, the Desert Palace also had the rooftop that was made into a beautiful garden that consisted of exotic plants and flowers that were native to the Dustorm Empire. However, the rooftop garden was off-limited, which meant that the only one who could gain the access to it were the members of the royal family and someone who was approved by them, making this place also a perfect place for the royal family to have a private meeting if they ever had one.
"…" Standing in the middle of the garden on the rooftop of Desert Palace was the emperor of the Dustorm Empire who had ruled over the desert nation for over 33 years, starting from the Fallen Crisis. He was standing alone in the garden, and his attention was on the dark sky above him, which, strangely, was voided of any stars tonight, as if the dark cloud had veiled and devoured all the light that usually be seen during the night.
"… Father."
The matured voice called the emperor, turning his attention from the dark sky to see the owner of the voice, who was now standing in front of him, along with three other Pokemon. The one who called him was none other than his successor and the crown prince of the Dustorm Empire.
"Terrus." Emperor Garland said as he looked at the younger Garchomp in front of him. Beside him was two of his other children, Natasha and Largo. The last Pokemon among them, however, didn't bear any royal blood, but he was able to be here because he was Terrus' retainer, Soryl.
"Father, all of us have come to your summon." Terrus said as he and everyone bowed down to the emperor of the Dustorm Empire.
"… For tonight only, I want all of you to drop the formality." Emperor Garland said. "This also applies to the Windsky whelp over there too."
"As you say—I mean, okay, father." Terrus, Natasha and Largo said.
"…" Unlike others, Soryl said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"Now…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "All the Royal Children of Quakersand, I—"
"Not 'all', father." Largo spoke up, interrupting Emperor Garland's speech. "Can't you see that Freya isn't here?! And it has been 3 years that she had gone missing!"
"… Impudent, aren't you, Largo?" Emperor Garland said. "But then… So what? Does that have anything to do with this?"
"Does that… How could you say something like that?!" Largo said. "Freya had gone missing for three whole years! THREE WHOLE YEARS! Three whole years have already passed and you haven't done anything about this! Don't you care for her?! Don't you care for Freya?! Don't you care for your own daughter—"
"That's enough, Largo." Terrus scolded his younger brother, but soon he was scolded by his father.
"Terrus, Largo and I are having our conversation. Don't interrupt us." Emperor Garland said before turning his attention back to Largo. "Back to our topic. Largo, there is one thing in what you said that's wrong. I don't consider Freya as my daughter."
"W…. WHAT?!" Not only Largo, but Terrus, Natasha and Soryl were also surprised after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"W… Why, father?!" Natasha asked.
"There's nothing to be surprised about this, Natasha." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "Technically, I am Freya's father no matter what, but in my feeling, I am not her father. The only reason that she was born as my 'daughter' is because I raped her mother, whom I later killed a minute before her daughter was born, and she would never be born into this world if it wasn't for Sharon who protected her from me. Looking at all of these, are you still able to count Freya, the spawn of my sin, as my child?"
"…" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl weren't able to say anything after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"… And don't think that you are above this, Largo." Emperor Garland said as he directed his attention to the Alolan Marowak, who was glaring at him. "And if you ask me, what you have done is even worse than mine."
"W… What?!" Largo said. "What have I done for you to suggest that, father?!"
"And how dare you still act like you haven't done anything wrong, my 'son'." Emperor Garland said with a sarcastic voice, especially when he said the word 'son'. "Don't you remember that you are the one who killed your own mother?"
"NO! YOU ARE WRONG!" Largo roared out. "I… I didn't kill her! She… She died from giving birth to me!"
"That's still the same thing." Emperor Garland said. "Your birth is the reason that your mother, Empress Lylalia, died. And so, no matter how hard I try, I can love you as my child as much as I should."
"How… How could you say something like that?!" Largo said. "How could you say that you 'love' us?! I know that you never love either Terrus or me, and among all of us your 'children', the only one you love is Natasha!"
"That's enough, Largo!" Terrus scolded.
"Hm… Maybe you aren't wrong, Largo." Instead of becoming angry, Emperor Garland just continued speaking with the nonchalant voice. "You already know why I can't love Freya, but do any of you know the real reason why I can't love the rest of you except Natasha as much as I want?"
"W… What?!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and even Soryl spoke out after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"… It's because your mother, Empress Lylalia, isn't someone that I truly love." Emperor Garland slowly spoke. "Between my two wives, Natasha's mother, Empress Sharon, is the only one I truly love, and I still love her until now."
"T… Then why?!" Largo asked with a shaking voice. "W… Why did you marry mother if you don't love her?!"
"… I have no choice." Emperor Garland answered with a grim voice. "33 years ago, as the last descendant of the ancient kingdom of earth, I was chosen to be the first emperor of the newly-formed Dustorm Empire, and as one of the Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, everyone had a high expectation on me that I would be able to bring the desert nation to the prosperity. However, there's one thing about me that they couldn't accept. It's Sharon, my beloved wife. While everyone agreed that I am well-suited as the Emperor of the Dustorm Empire, very few people approved of having Sharon as the empress of the desert nation, and the reason why is just because she isn't a Ground type Pokemon!"
"… And you married mother just to make everyone approved?!" Largo said.
"No." Emperor Garland answered. "The real reason why I married Lylalia is to protect Sharon, as among the people who didn't approve Sharon's title as the Empress of the Dustorm Empire were ALL nobles and senates of this very nation, and somehow I found out that they would soon try to assassinate Sharon in order to prevent her from becoming the empress. This left me no choice. I couldn't abandon the throne of Dustorm Empire as doing so means that I would leave the desert nation and its people in the hand of the very group of nobles and senates that tried to kill my wife just because she isn't a Ground type Pokemon. And so, the only choice I have was to marry someone who is both a Ground type Pokemon and someone who would be accepted by the people of the desert nation, as well as someone that I could at least have an affection for, and Lylalia, being the sister of my friend, was the only Pokemon that fit in this criteria."
"…" Everyone said nothing as they waited for Emperor Garland to continue speaking.
"Lylalia… Now come to think of it, she was such a nice Pokemon." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "She agreed to marry me despite knowing that I didn't truly love her, and she was still a great wife to me and the great empress to the empire, and the thing that made me very happy was Lylalia and Sharon were able to get along very well with each other as both of them understood the situation of each other. That made me very happy despite that I had to marry someone that I don't have any love to, and so, for the sake of everyone, be the people of the desert nation or my wives, I tried very hard to love Lylalia and the son that she had given birth to later, and later, I was able to feel the true love when my beloved wife Sharon gave birth to our daughter."
"… Father…" Natasha said.
"… But all of that was only in the past now." Emperor Garland continued speaking with a grim voice. "After everything that happened, I finally realized one important thing; pretending would never bring anything good. The only thing that it brought is pain and agony. I should never pretend to love Lylalia, as it brought upon so much pain and agony to both of us. However, it was already too late. I already lost too much, and both Lylalia and Sharon are already gone, but it was not too late for me to stop pretending, and that was what I did. I stopped pretending that I love Lylalia's sons, and if Lylalia is alive, I would surely stop pretending to love her, as Sharon is the only one I truly love."
"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"Come to think of it… Natasha…" Emperor Garland said as he turned his attention to the Dragalge. "Thinking about all of this makes me question one more thing; do I truly love you? Or do I only love you because you are the split image of my loved wife, Sharon?"
"…" Natasha said nothing after hearing the words of her father.
"… But that doesn't matter." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "The important thing right now is that I stopped caring for the people of Dustorm Empire, and I stopped caring what everyone thinks of me. I know that many consider me as the ruthless ruler of the desert nation. I know that many consider me as the devil, but they forget that they once considered me as the savior, and they were the once who brought me upon themselves."
"… So, that's your real reason for your invasion of the Windsky Plateau?" Soryl suddenly spoke up, which turned the attention of everyone there to him. "I heard from the late Pontifex Hawkins that the reason why you invaded the Windsky Plateau was because of your grief after you lost Empress Sharon, and I did feel a bit sorry for you. But now, after hearing the truth from your mouth, my former opinion about you is proved to be right, that you are the heartless and soulless person who only thinks of the benefit of yourself!"
"!" Terrus, Natasha and Largo were surprised to see that Soryl was able to make up his mind to speak all these words to the emperor of the Dustorm Empire, and all three knew that this wouldn't end well, and Soryl would surely be punished for his impertinent. However, after hearing the words of the young Aerodactyl, all that Emperor Garland did was let out a sinister laugh!
"Hehehehehe…" Emperor Garland let out a sinister laugh before he continued speaking. "That's so funny hearing it from you, Windsky whelp."
"What's so funny about that?!" Soryl asked with an irritated voice.
"If you want to know, all you have to do is answer some simple questions." Emperor Garland spoke. "What is your REAL reason for 'befriending' Terrus?"
"W… What?" Soryl was puzzled by the question he heard. "What's with a question like that?!"
"So… That question may be a bit too hard for someone like you…" Emperor Garland spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Then, let me clarify my question; do you really think of Terrus as your 'friend'? Or… Do you become a 'friend' with Terrus just because you want to obtain the benefit about the Windsky Plateau from him?"
"!" Soryl was shocked after hearing the question of Emperor Garland.
"Don't you think that I can't see what you are trying to do, Windsky whelp…" Emperor Garland continued speaking. "You want your homeland, Windsky Plateau, to be freed from the grasp of my Dustorm Empire, but considered your statue right now, there's nothing that you can do about this. However, you saw the opportunity to help your homeland if you become a friend and a retainer of Terrus, as after I died, Terrus would become the new emperor of Dustorm Empire, and you would be able to use Terrus' influence to free the Windsky Plateau from Dustorm Empire's grasp, as well as to gain the profit from the desert nation too."
"T… That's…" Soryl said with a shaking voice.
"Well? What would you say about this?" Emperor Garland said. "It isn't hard to say the word 'no' and refuse everything that I have just said, right?"
"…" Soryl said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"Soryl…" Terrus said as he looked at the Aerodactyl beside him, but the Aerodactyl still didn't let any words out of his mouth.
"Heh… As I thought." Emperor Garland continued speaking after seeing that the Aerodactyl won't say anything. "If it's in the normal condition, I would surely order your execution right now, not only for your ill intent toward my empire, but also for your impertinent that you have shown to me. The only reason that you are still alive is because you are now the Hero of Legend who holds the power of Flying type after Pontifex Hawkins, my brother, passed his power to him. To be blunt, I don't know why did my brother choose you as his successor, as there are many Flying type out there that're much better candidates than you, Windsky whelp."
"…" Soryl still said nothing after hearing the words of Emperor Garland.
"Father…" Terrus spoke up as he turned his attention from his retainer to his father.
"Hm? Now that I think about it, the bond between two friends would never be formed if it lacked the friendship from both sides." Emperor Garland said as he shifted his attention to his eldest son. "So, Terrus, what's your real intention behind your friendship with that Windsky whelp? Do you become friend with him because you really think of him as your 'friend', or do you think of him as your substitute 'brother'?"
"F… Father?!" Terrus was shocked after hearing the words of his father.
"Again, never think that I can't see what you are thinking, Terrus." Emperor Garland continued speaking. "That Windsky whelp was born in 'that' year isn't it, meaning that he would be at the same age as—"
"Father, that's not—" Terrus suddenly spoke up, but Emperor Garland didn't let him continue speaking.
"Terrus, think first before you say anything else." Emperor Garland scolded. "Can you really refuse the words that I have just stated. Can you really deny that you aren't like what I said? Can you really say that your conscience is clear?"
"…" Terrus said nothing after hearing the words of his father.
"… You don't need to answer me, as your answer won't do anything good to me." Emperor Garland said. "What happen to any of you and the desert nation is no more important to me, as I do not care about any of these anymore."
"Father!" Natasha spoke up. "Why did you say such a terrible thing like that?!"
"…" Emperor Garland didn't say anything. All he did was shift his attention from any of Pokemon in front of him to the entrance of the rooftop garden, which was covered by the darkness of the night. "… Staying hidden like that won't do anything good. Why don't you come out and face your destiny, you infernal creatures?"
"!" Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl quickly turned their attention to the entrance of the rooftop garden as they realized that Emperor Garland wasn't talking with them, but with someone else who was hiding at the entrance to the rooftop garden!
"… Heh…"
After Emperor Garland finished speaking, two Pokemon slowly revealed themselves from the shadow. One of them was a Mega Charizard X and the other one was, like Emperor Garland and Terrus, a Garchomp. As they showed up, Terrus, Natasha and Largo immediately recognized one of them, as they were none other than…
"Z… ZETARUS?!"
Zetarus and Diego were standing near the entrance of the rooftop garden of the Desert Palace. Their attentions were focused at five Pokemon in front of them. Three of them were Zetarus' sibling, Terrus, Natasha and Largo. The fourth Pokemon was the crown prince's retainer from the Windsky Plateau, and the last Pokemon was none other than Zetarus' target for tonight.
"Emperor Garland…" Zetarus slowly spoke up with a creepy voice. "… Are you ready to die?"
"… I remember you." Emperor Garland said with a grim voice as he looked at the newly-appeared Garchomp. "You were the loser who tried to kill me 3 years ago, and I see that you have come back for your revenge."
"Right." Zetarus said. "And tonight is going to be your last night."
"Speak for yourself." Emperor Garland said. "And what can a loser like you do? You are nothing more than a inferal creature that even the gate of Afterlife won't accept you, so you are doomed to roam around this land."
"You are wrong." Zetarus said. "It's me who chooses not to enter the gate of Afterlife until I am able to kill you, and I will do anything in order to achieve that, even if I have to drag you to the Afterlife with me!"
"Heh." Emperor Garland let out a sarcastic laugh before he glanced at Diego for a bit. "It seems like you have brought another creature from hell too. Good! That's very good! I will be able to send both of you back to the place where you belong, the deepest pit of hell!"
"Good. I don't want to waste my breath any longer, as I have already wasted it long enough." Zetarus said as he equipped his Sniper's Eye and Diego equipped his Silver Naginata. They then were about to get into a fight with Emperor Garland when four Pokemon who were standing between them turned their attention toward them, and all of them didn't seem to step out of their way anytime soon.
"Out of my way." Zetarus said to Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl.
"No." Terrus answered. "As the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, I won't allow you to inflict any harm upon the emperor of the desert nation! So, cease your action at once!"
"… What if I refuse?" Zetarus said.
"… Then we have no choice." Terrus said as he equipped his Garnent Blade, along with Soryl with his Amethyst Chakram, Natasha with her whip and Largo with his club. "Then we will have to engage in a fight!"
"… This is what I am waiting for." Zetarus said. "Terrus, I have been waiting to resume our battle. Our battle 3 years ago didn't reach a conclusion, but tonight, it will."
"And you too." Diego suddenly spoke up as he looked at Soryl. "You have done too much to me 3 years ago, so I will be sure to enjoy my revenge."
"... I remember you." Soryl said. "You are that wanted criminal that I chased after during Terrus' Succession Ceremony, and now I see that you are siding with another wanted criminal."
"And now." Terrus said. "Zetarus, please forgive me for this, but as the crown prince of Dustorm Empire, my duty must come first, even if it's against what I have in my heart."
"No more talking, Prince Terrus." Zetarus said. "There's nothing else between us. No bond. No bloodline. No birthright. And no hard feeling. Let's end this."
"I am ready, Zetarus." Terrus said.
Zetarus and Diego glared at Terrus, Natasha, Largo and Soryl in front of them. All of them were holding their weapon in their grasp, and all of them were ready to attack each other, for the sake of their ideal, for any moment, even if they had to cut the blood tie that bound them together!
But…
"STOP!"
"!" A familiar voice was heard by everyone who was in the rooftop garden, and a few second later, another Pokemon suddenly appeared and stood between Zetarus, Diego and Terrus, Natasha, Largo, Soryl, with the serious and determined look on her face. It took everyone not too long to figure out who this Pokemon was, as she was also the Pokemon who shared a blood tie with them, as well as the youngest princess of Dustorm Empire who had gone missing for 3 years!
"FREYA?!"
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Now the Intermission I had already reached its final arc, following Zetarus' mission to kill Emperor Garland. This time, will he succeed? Or will he fail again? And what would happen next?