Draco: Well, at least I'm back to writing Ransei oneshots instead of a giant plot every Generation. I got inspired for this in the middle of a Zelda boss fight; don't ask me where it came from, I have no idea. It would probably be a bad idea to read this one if you haven't read Kingdoms Unknown and Ancient Ruination, but if you're willing to risk some spoilers, I'm not gonna try and prohibit you.

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
...Yeah, it still feels nice to use those copyright shenanigans.

A Blessing Upon Aurora

The rivalry between Shingen of Terrara and Kenshin of Illusio was legendary - and for good reason. So well-known was their conflict with one another that they had seen an arena crafted on the border between their two kingdoms - a neutral ground where terrain offered neither of them the advantage, that they could definitively determine who was the victor. Alas, the results opposed their decision, for five hundred and ninety-eight fights upon that arena had yielded five hundred and ninety-eight draws, only reinforcing the image that Ransei upheld of them that their animosity would never subside unless age or cataclysm would strike one down before the other.

One Warrior, however, was convinced that despite their many clashes - despite all their talk of nemeses - their rivalry was one between friends. And today, they seemed to be intent on proving her right; Evia of Aurora moved to meet Kenshin's spear upon her shield, and found Shingen rounding on her with his signal fan raised, forcing the Auroran to meet it upon her sword.

She struggled against the two-sided lock for a moment as a roar shook the arena - a mighty ruby figure brought its claws down, and the earth seemed to burst out in a cross before it, centered on Eeveelutions in the middle of the battlefield. As soon as the Earth Power subsided, Espeon unleashed a Psybeam to return fire; Groudon took the blow and stumbled back, hunching over... and providing a foothold for a more humanoid figure of pale pink to leap into the air, its psychic energy focused into striking their foes. Sylveon managed to unleash a Dazzling Gleam, striking Mewtwo and Groudon both, before the Psystrike connected and knocked both Eeveelutions out.

Evia's hand shifted on her sword, seizing it in a backhand grip that was better suited to shift Shingen's fan aside; the large man stumbling forward forced Kenshin to break the lock with Evia's shield, allowing her to bring it around and slam it into the Terraran's back, throwing him to the ground. Glaceon leapt at the two Legendary Pokémon before they could flaunt their victory over his fellows; an Icy Wind howled forward to strike them both, and the Continent roared as the blow became too much, falling to the ground. The Mind Master endured the blow better, unleashing another Psystrike to retaliate, but the psychic particles closed in on nothing with a wicked crack as Glaceon evaded, the sound loud enough to briefly deafen Kenshin and Evia both.

The two Warriors were knocked off-balance from the loss of sense; Kenshin managed to recover first, thrusting his spear forward and managing to knock Evia's shield from her hand, but Evia quickly moved forward and drove the pommel of her sword into his chest, knocking the wind out of him as a brown blur lunged at Mewtwo from the side, knocking it out as well.

As Evia's ears started to recover, she became aware of a gentle clapping from the sidelines; pale light of two notably different hues started to wash over the Pokémon as she turned to see the spectators stepping forward - Aya-gozen, Yukimura, Kanetsugu, and Kunoichi. "That was a most impressive display," Aya praised.

"Indeed," Yukimura praised. "And to think I thought such an alliance would overwhelm you."

"Well, you know..." Evia sheathed her sword upon her back. "Impossible odds are kind of the default at this point."

Kunoichi crossed her arms, glaring at the Eevee who was approaching his Warrior's other three Pokémon. "I don't think she should get four Pokémon all by herself."

"After the Legendary Pokémon Linked to two of Ransei's greatest Warriors consented to the battle?" Kanetsugu argued.

"...Okay, point," Kunoichi conceded. "But if she keeps this up and gets all eight-"

"Then we will even the field ourselves," Kenshin insisted. "Forging a Link with a Legendary Pokémon is no reason to disregard our existing Link - is that not so, Nemesis?"

"I concur," Shingen assured him. "And if Rhyperior and Gallade aren't enough to make for a close match, we can always have you lot join in."

"Of course," Kanetsugu agreed. "I trust you have no objections, Lady Evia?"

Evia gave an awkward smile. "Well... not to the Pokémon joining the battle," she insisted.

"Aww, is someone scared she's not up to snuff without transformation backing her up?" Kunoichi taunted.

"Even on flare night," Evia protested, "I wouldn't have stood a chance if they'd all come at me at once."

Aya smiled. "I'm sure we can arrange things to make it fair, if the time should come."

"Speaking of times coming," Yukimura admitted, "we should be heading back."

"Right," Shingen agreed. "Thank you for the battle, Evia."

"Indeed," Kenshin concurred. "Good day."

The two armies took off in opposing directions, collecting their sleeping Pokémon from where they had been socializing at the arena's edge. Evia assessed the group as they all started to rise - Mewtwo, Gallade, Alakazam, and Froslass departing in one direction, Groudon, Rhyperior, Charizard, and Weavile taking off in the other.

"...You know, I think I've still got those stones Keiji gave me back home," Evia mused, kneeling down and holding out her arm for Eevee to mount it. "How do you feel about Water or Fire?"

Eevee gave a thoughtful cry, looking down towards the other three; Espeon angled her head inquisitively.

"Ugh, but then we'd have to make a trip to Yaksha," Evia muttered as she started off. "I don't know how I feel about dropping into Kotarō's territory for a social visit."

Glaceon and Sylveon glared at her.

Evia sighed. "...True, I should really check on the kingdom for myself sooner rather than later."

+x+x+x+

"What an interesting choice of souvenirs."

Oichi's remark earned a giggle from Gracia. "I thought so, too," she agreed. "I was like 'Guys, there's still only the one Key Stone in all of Ransei!' But no, they picked a couple of Mega Stones when they wanted to bring me a souvenir from Ultra Space."

"Ultra Space?" Oichi echoed.

"That's what Lord Nobunaga said it was called," Gracia replied. "He's been getting books shipped in from Trainer lands, and one of them talked about the beasts - Ultra Beasts, they call them."

"I might have to place some orders myself," Oichi admitted. "Especially if Solgaleo and Lunala are gonna be bringing you souvenirs like this. I wonder what Pokémon these stones might be meant for..." One had a body of pale orange that was nearly white; the twisting shape in the center had red surrounding a blue center. The other was of a more notable, but still very light blue; the twist was green twisting around a pink center. "Brother mentioned that Mega Evolution was well understood in Kalos, they probably have a record of which is which."

Gracia sat back. "You wanna take one?"

"Me?" Oichi echoed. "What for?"

"Without a Key Stone, they're basically just pretty rocks, right?" Gracia admitted. "One might look pretty on my bedside table, but two is just gonna take up space. If you wanna add a little something to the decor, go for it."

"As long as you promise you're not gonna be handing out Mega Stones all over Ransei," Oichi reprimanded.

"Nuh-uh, I told them off once already," Gracia assured her. "Any other Mega Stones that show up in Ransei are someone else's fault."

"Then... maybe I'll take this one." Oichi reached for the blue one. "They do look beautiful; it might make a nice mantelpiece decoration."

"Oooh, that actually sounds like a really nice idea," Gracia admitted, picking up the other. "As long as we don't get any Trainers showing up and asking why you got that sitting around."

Oichi chuckled. "That'd be an awkward conversation."

Gracia got to her feet. "So, summer festivals are coming up. You and Lady Evia got any plans?"

"Not really," Oichi admitted. "We usually spend the day out at the ravine, then come back to the castle in time to catch the fireworks. A walk through town, sometimes, to see what the festivities offer. We might visit the shore, see if Manaphy's come back."

"Fair enough," Gracia mused. "If she does show up, you gonna bring her ashore for a little bit?"

"Oh yeah, flaunt the Sea Princess in Ransei," Oichi snarked, "that sounds like a good idea."

"I just thought she might want to be there for the festival!" Gracia insisted.

Oichi hummed. "Well, when you put it like that..."

"That's what I mean," Gracia insisted. "Didn't she say her Papa in the mountain region was carrying her around without one of those balls? If she doesn't have any bad memories of unpleasant attention in a Trainer land, taking her into a Warrior's town for the festival is hardly gonna raise Distortion."

"Yeah, fair enough," Oichi conceded.

Footsteps approaching drew their attention as Wigglytuff dashed in; Oichi quickly got to her feet. "Ah, Evia's back."

"Should probably say hello before I head back to Nixtorm," Gracia mused.

Wigglytuff shook her head, giving a hasty cry.

"Because of course he did," Oichi muttered. "Is he at least part of the attack himself this time?"

Gracia grinned. "Mind if I join you?"

+x+x+x+

The Sea Princess did not happen to show up in Ransei in time for the festival - but Evia and Oichi did see an unexpected couple during their walk through town.

"Ina!" Oichi greeted. "Nobuyuki!"

"Oichi, Lady Evia," Ina returned. "It has been a while."

"Indeed it has." Evia elected not to comment on the rings that the couple were wearing. "You two been in Valora this whole time?"

Nobuyuku nodded. "More or less," he confirmed, "though we started on a bit of a journey about a month ago. Trying to, um... get used to things."

Evia's gaze fell. "I know the feeling," she admitted, "if not to the same extent."

Oichi quickly changed the subject. "So, you guys got plans for the fireworks?" she asked. "You're welcome to stay at the castle, unless you were planning to-"

"No! No, no." Ina's face had turned very red very fast. "We'd be happy to join you."

"Glad to hear it," Evia admitted. "We usually get the best view from atop the walls around the battlefield." She smiled. "If you'd like to pass the time in a bit more familiar manner, we'd be happy to spar with you."

Nobuyuki gave a wry smile. "Tempting," he admitted, "but I really shouldn't hide away from the festivities like that."

Ina shook her head. "Besides, that hardly seems like a fair fight on the Pokémon's part, does it?" she mused.

"That depends on whether the new one takes up a stone or not," Oichi observed.

"You found a fourth?!" Ina exclaimed.

Evia giggled. "It helps to be prepared to every eventuality."

"Preparing for every eventuality is like three steps away from being an unstoppable evil mastermind," Oichi accused.

"Be quiet," Evia reprimanded.

Ina hummed curiously, a smile on her face. "Absurd levels of preparation, you've travelled to other worlds and through time, and a heavenly power that can still be overcome..."

"Holy Distortion, no," Evia protested. "Do not put that image in my head."

Nobuyuki stepped forward. "Um, where did this conversation go?"

"It's a long and confusing story," Ina admitted, "and I'll be happy to show you when we get back to Valora. How comfortable are you with the Switch?"

+x+x+x+

A couple hours later, they did gather atop the walls that encircled the Aurora battlefield; Ina and Nobuyuki were on one side of the entrance, and Oichi and Evia had seated themselves on the other side. Empoleon and Emboar were in the battlefield, looking like they were about to fall asleep; Glaceon, Sylveon, and Espeon were sitting along the outside wall, while Eevee and Wigglytuff were upon the roof with their Warriors.

And Evia had three stones lying in her lap - one each in blue, red, and yellow.

"It's your choice to make," Evia insisted, picking up the Water Stone and setting it into her bag. "Don't feel like you have to make the decision right now."

Eevee gave a low cry.

Oichi shook her head. "The other three all got their evolutions in the middle of huge journeys," she assured him. "You don't need to make yourself match up to them in peacetime."

Evia moved the Thunder Stone into her bag as well. "Honestly, I kind of hope we never get another journey of that sort," she admitted. "Three such trips is already two too many."

"I wouldn't say that," Oichi insisted. "Every journey has had its good and bad."

A smile appeared on Evia's face. "I suppose you're right." A whistling sound drew her attention; the fireworks had begun, and she turned towards the sound in time to see the first burst scatter in the air. "Ah, here we go!"

The fireworks began to shoot up from all over Aurora, rising into the air and bursting in myriad shapes and colours. After a moment, Oichi narrowed her gaze. "Is it just me," she asked, "or do some of the trajectories seem kind of... canted?"

"...No, you're right," Evia admitted. "Some of them aren't shooting straight up." She grumbled, her gaze going towards town. "We're going to need to speak to the people who set them up tomorrow. There's a lot of problems with-"

Another firework was launched - and this one's trajectory was nearly horizontal, leaving it streaking dangerously close to Aurora Castle.

"Shit!" Evia got to her feet, grabbing the Fire Stone still in her lap before it could fall. "Okay, that's-!"

"Evia!" Oichi grabbed her wife's arm before she could take off. "We've got trouble!" The firework had managed to strike the forestry not far from Aurora Castle - and set it ablaze.

"Oh, Alpha dammit!" Evia turned to the opposite wall. "Ina! Nobuyuki! We've got trouble!"

The four Warriors and seven Pokémon dismounted the roof and dashed towards the forestry - the scattering nature of fireworks meant that it had ignited a significant area, and the dry weather they'd been having meant that the fire had spread very quickly. "It's like the Lava Dome descended on this place," Ina muttered. "Empoleon, quickly! We might not stop it entirely, but we can lessen the damage before the trained-"

Espeon interrupted her with a loud cry.

"There's someone in here?!" Nobuyuki exclaimed. "How?"

"It doesn't matter how!" Evia insisted. "Let's find them and get them out of-!"

One of the trees groaned as it started to fall, catching them by surprise. "Dammit," Oichi muttered. "Nobuyuki, you and Emboar go in and-!"

Emboar cried out in protest, raising hands up and down himself.

"No, you're right," Oichi realized. "You're too big for this dense a wood. If you start knocking the trees down to get in, it'd just make the situation worse!"

With a growl, Eevee leapt at Evia's arm, knocking the Fire Stone out of her hands; then, before anyone else could react, he slammed his paw into the stone, causing a blinding light to shine up around him. Evia understood what was going on immediately, stripping off her robe and leaving her in her armour - as the shining figure charged into the blazing wood, she and Espeon made to follow suit.

"EVIA!"

Sylveon cried out, beckoning along with one of her ribbons; with a groan, Oichi turned to Wigglytuff. "You go with them, I'll stay out here to give you a beacon!" she instructed. Then, as Wigglytuff and Sylveon started to head in, she turned to Nobuyuki. "If things start collapsing, you and Emboar might need to charge in anyways. Ina, you and Empoleon be ready to start hosing this blaze down as soon as I know what trajectory is safe!"

"Yes, Lady Oichi!"

As soon as the light subsided around Flareon, Espeon dashed ahead to get in front of him, standing in his way long enough for the rest of the entourage to catch up "Espeon, you and Flareon lead," Evia instructed quickly, "see if you can find them! Wigglytuff, you follow close - if there's something in the way, you should be able to clear it!" Wigglytuff gave a curt cry in the affirmative as she turned to Sylveon. "You stay with me. If whoever is panicking, you'll have to calm them down!"

They charged inward, and after a moment Espeon banked hard to the left, prompting the others to follow suit. A short while later, they heard a gush of flowing water; Empoleon had started fighting the fire as best they could before the emergency responders arrived. The group was brought to a sudden halt as a tree came down ahead of them - and Evia heard a voice screaming as it struck the earth.

"Hello!?" the Warlord yelled. "Can you hear me?!"

"Help!" It was a young voice, and startlingly close. "It hurts!"

"I'm right here!" Evia assured her. "Flareon-!"

The Flame Pokémon was ahead of her, leaping over the collapsed wood; after only a moment, he cried out, and Wigglytuff dashed forward, unleashing a Hyper Voice to blow the burning timber away. Sylveon quickly dashed forward - there was what looked to be a very young girl, pale with dark hair, huddled with a Bagon and a Ralts, and the Intertwining Pokémon quickly reached her feelers forward, gently curling around her.

Evia quickly knelt down. "I'm here," she assured the child. "I got you. Come on, let's go."

"I'm scared!" the girl cried. "It hurts!"

"It'll be okay," Evia insisted. "I got you. Here..." She carefully scooped the girl up, getting to her feet; Sylveon let the Ralts ride on her back, and Flaeon prompted the Bagon to ride on his. "Let's get out of here!"

Emergency responders had reached the blaze by the time the entourage charged out of the burning wood; Glaceon quickly dashed towards the group, his cold body all too welcome for the overheated group. The Warlord set the little girl down, who promptly hugged onto the Snow Land Pokémon as Evia turned to Espeon. "Was it just the one?"

Espeon nodded.

"Right, then." She turned to the firefighting squad. "That's everyone!"

"Yes, milady!" The leader turned to the squad of Simipour. "Rain down!"

Ina knew better than to try and lend her aid to a group of trained professionals; as the Simipour started to shower Brine on the blazing wood, the Valoran stepped towards the group. "This little one was in there on her own?"

"Seems that way," Evia admitted. "What were you-? Oh, no."

The little one had gone limp against Glaceon's side; Oichi quickly knelt down beside her, setting a hand against her neck to check for a pulse and then holding it before her mouth to feel for a breath. "Just passed out," she observed. "She must be exhausted. I knew I should've had my staff with me." She raised her gaze to Evia. "Let's bring her back to the castle."

Evia nodded. "Agreed."

+x+x+x+

The girl was asleep for the better part of the next day, despite Oichi's treatment - which gave the Warlord the opportunity to seek out those responsible for the fireworks, and see them punished for their recklessness. As Evia got back shortly after noon, she found the healer still sitting at the girl's bedside, with Wigglytuff carrying out a tray of dishes to confirm that she hadn't been neglecting her own health, either.

"Any change?" Evia asked.

"Still asleep," Oichi admitted. "But her burns have subsided."

Evia sat down at the foot of the bed. "What about the Pokémon that were with her?"

"Sleeping with Flareon and the others," Oichi replied. "They were awake earlier - and ate enough Ponigiri between them to feed a Wailord." Her gaze fell. "Which might explain part of it. When I was treating her, she seemed pretty undernourished. I crushed some berries and managed to feed them to her before I had lunch."

"...She was the only one in the forest when the flames started," Evia observed. "Do you think...?"

Movement upon the bed interrupted her train of thought; the girl was starting to stir. Slowly, her eyes flittered open, and after a moment she started to push herself to a sitting position, revealing that Oichi had gotten her into an oversized nightgown. "Huh...? Where...?"

"Hello," Evia greeted gently. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" The girl looked around. "Wh-Where am I?"

"You're in Aurora Castle," Evia said slowly. "Do you remember last night?"

"Last night..." The girl looked down. "There was... a fire. All of a sudden, it was all on fire... and we couldn't get out. I was so scared... and then someone came..." Her gaze shot up. "Wait, where's Ralts?! Where's Bagon!?"

"They're okay," Oichi assured her. "They're here, too, don't worry. They were up earlier, and I took them to get some food. We can go see them, if you-"

The girl turning away all of a sudden cut her off; footsteps drew Evia's attention as well, in time to see a small blue Pokémon charging into the room with a broad smile. The girl beamed as he leapt onto the bed, crawling forward and putting her arms around him. "Bagon! And Ralts too!" she added, seeing the Feeling Pokémon trailing in behind.

Oichi had a smile on her face as she turned to Evia, finding it reflected on her wife's face; they both recognized a Link when they saw it. Once Ralts had made her way to the bedside, Evia spoke up. "Can I ask your name?" As the girl turned to her, the Warlord beckoned to herself. "I'm Evia."

"And I'm Oichi."

"My name's... Kaguya," the girl replied.

"Kaguya." Evia smiled at her. "It's a beautiful name."

Oichi took a deep breath. "Kaguya, may I ask... why you were out in the woods by yourself? Where are your mom and dad?"

"I..." Kaguya's gaze fell. "I don't... have a mom and dad."

Evia's smile vanished. "Huh?"

"There was a whole bunch of us," Kaguya replied. "The old man took care of us, but we never had a mom or dad. But then one day, I got split up from the others. I don't know why - I just saw a bunch of rainbow colours, and then all of a sudden I was somewhere else." Oichi and Evia traded worried glances, realizing what had happened to her. "I found Ralts and Bagon in the woods there with me, but... we never found a way out. I was so hungry and tired... and then the fire happened, and I was hurting...!"

"It's okay," Evia insisted. "Deep breaths, Kaguya. You're okay now." Kaguya closed her eyes, taking a deep breath through her nose, and Ralts hugged her close. "Do you know... what your home was called?"

Kaguya shook her head. "I don't know. But... it's not really my home."

Oichi was concerned by that. "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't... feel like home," she replied. "All the other kids left me out, and the old man didn't really care." She raised her gaze. "You're not... gonna send me back, are you?"

"If you don't want to go back, you don't have to," Oichi assured her. "You can stay here with us."

"...Thank you."

Evia narrowed her gaze as Kaguya pulled away from the Pokémon, bundling the covers around her again. We got back about a year and a half ago, and Gracia said they were going to keep an eye on things... but maybe that's not a good judgement. "Do you know how long you were in the woods?" she asked.

"Not really," Kaguya admitted. "It's been so long, I lost count. But it was almost summer when I got split up from the others, and it's not really getting cold yet."

"That would be a few months at least," Oichi observed, "and that's if they were getting summer at the same time as us. What were you eating?"

Kaguya looked uncomfortable. "Sometimes we find food lying around, like someone dropped it and didn't notice. And there was a berry tree one time." She curled up under the blanket. "But it's almost never enough to share. We have to take turns."

"Alpha's grace," Evia murmured. "We need to get a proper meal in you." She held out her hand. "Come with us, I'll get you something to eat."

+x+x+x+

Kaguya was exceedingly grateful for the meal - and moreso when she was allowed seconds, confessing that she had always been denied such a serving from the 'old man' who had been her previous caretaker, no matter how much was left after everyone had been given one. After she'd had her fill, Evia and Oichi elected to show her around the castle, to help her familiarize herself with it.

A large map on the living room wall drew her attention. "What's this?"

"This is Ransei," Evia explained. "It's where we are now." She beckoned to the southwestern section. "We are here, in the Kingdom of Aurora."

"Kingdom?" Kaguya echoed. "Does that mean you're the queen?"

Evia giggled. "Kind of, I guess. The proper word is 'Warlord'."

Kaguya turned to her. "So, does that mean you have the castle all by yourself?" she asked. "Just you two?"

"Not necessarily," Evia mused, trading glances with Oichi.

Oichi knelt down so she was on level with Kaguya. "It's like I said before. If you want to... you can stay here with us."

She held out her hand, and Evia offered hers as well; after a long moment, Kaguya reached out and took them, a smile on her face.