Chapter Three: Long Live The Prince
"I've got to keep working toward the summit…" - NPC, Ruby & Sapphire
My brothers are trapped in the Skarsgard prisons. I remember Dreigo talking about getting rid of them, saying they were cruel, saying he wouldn't put his worst enemies through something like that. For the short time we lived in Grande Castle he moved all the prisoners around so they would at least be more comfortable: the grass-types in the Jungle, the electric-types in the Lightningrod, the dark-types in the Void, that sort of thing.
The Skarsgards prisoners are divided into seventeen areas: Grass, fire, ground, poison, electric, water, rock, flying, ice, bug, ghost, fighting, dragon, psychic, dark, steel, and fairy. Every prisoner is put where they'll suffer the most: ice-types in the Furnace, ground-types in the Aquarium, bug-types in the Roost. They're designed, as Zweil put it, to "break their souls." But I know my brothers' spirits will never be broken. You know why? Because they're Varias.
For 156 years Charizard have felt entitled to rule.
No. That's different. My brothers are different. Different from any other Pokémon that ever lived. They'll survive, and so will I.
We've packed up the campsite and we're on our way to the Mountains. Home. Home home. It's been a long four days of nothing but walking and eating and sleeping, but we're close. I can feel it.
I've given Casper the job of tracker. Having such an important role will keep him happy, but it won't give him any power to wield over me. Prometheus follows right behind me, my personal bodyguard. Olivia and Posy walk alongside me. I can listen to the Ivysaur's footsteps and make it seem like I can see exactly where I'm going. Posy's carrying an incense that's supposed to help my wound heal faster. It smells like smoke and roses.
We're all spread out far apart, and I can hardly hear the Pokémon walking ten feet behind me. I can't hear Casper at all; twice he's made me jump by giving me his report before I even knew he'd approached. Now Olivia gives me a tap on the back to let me know he's there.
"We've come to the end of the woods, your grace," he says.
I ignore how he mutters my title like he doesn't want to say it. I thank him for his work, and tell him to join the squad behind him.
"We still have many miles to go."
"I know where we are," I tell him, "this is my home."
For a moment he doesn't move, then skulks away to the back.
"Yeah, on your way," Olivia mutters.
"Are you sure you don't need him anymore?" Posy whispers.
"I can feel it," I reply, "we're here."
Moments later we step into the cold chill, out of the shelter of the woods. The others stop dead.
"Here we are…" I hear Prometheus mutter.
"You can see Mount. Magma from here, huh?"
"Yeah. Kinda glad we're not heading back there, though. Bad memories."
"I know what you mean," I reply.
We stop outside the Dragon's Gate. It's not really a gate, though, it's the door to a tunnel leading to the heart of Mount. Chronicle. To my first home.
Only the Guardian is allowed to use the tunnel, but Dreigo isn't here now. But I have to try. The only other way would be to climb Mount. Chronicle ourselves. We've fought through three Mystery Dungeons already, and everyone's exhausted. A lot of us wouldn't survive.
I need to be worthy.
The entrance is hidden with plants; it's only because I have small feet that I can get close without crushing any of them. I reach a foot up and feel the rough stone, much warmer than it should be in winter. There's no handle on the door. It opens with soul magic. But I don't have Dreigo's soul or Zweil's knowledge. My soldiers are watching me.
"Take cover, all of you," I order them in the princely voice I've spent hours practicing, "the tunnel may be highly dangerous."
"Won't that put you in peril, Prince Dei?" a soldier asks.
"Better me than all of us together, soldier."
"All right, you heard him," Oakley says, and the grass rustles as Pokémon back away, "move your asses."
I wait until they've all been cleared away. I still smell Pro, Olivia, Posy, and Casper beside me. I expected my friends to stay with me, but not him.
"Casper," I say, "you have not left."
"If there is any danger," he says snarkily, "I'm sure you'll need me. Your grace."
"Don't you speak to him like-" Olivia begins. I motion for her to stop.
"Very noble of you, Sir," I say to Casper.
I hear him shuffle his feet. "I am… in fact, not yet a knight."
"Well, we must see to that as soon as we're inside."
For a moment he doesn't say anything. When he does he chokes on his words a little bit.
"Thank you, your grace."
Energy flows from the tunnel into my feet, into my body, making my heart jump. I know it's alive. I just don't know how to wake it up.
"Can they see me?" I ask.
"Nah, Oak's cleared them pretty well," Pro says, "and the four of us'll give you cover."
They make a shield around me. None of the other soldiers can see me, but they still can.
I place a foot on the tunnel entrance. Two feet. I move them up, down, apart, together. I put my feet back down and push my forehead against it.
"What is he-" Casper begins.
"Shhh!" goes Pro.
"Open," I say. Nothing happens. "Open up. That's an order."
Nothing. I know they're all looking at me.
"I said open! Open! Akete! Hirakete! Open!"
Nothing.
I let out a Dragon Rage attack as quietly as I can. I feel it move through my blood, pool in my heart, and leave through my mouth. The dragon hisses as it dies against the door. Still it refuses to open.
"Dei?" Posy asks.
"I…" I'm not going to cry. I take a deep breath. "I can't open it. Dreigo is the Guardian, not me."
"He didn't leave anyone else in charge, huh?" Pro asks.
"He didn't trust anyone enough."
"So there's no way in?" says Casper.
Pro scoffs at him. "It's a mountain. There's always one way to the top: we climb."
"I can't risk these soldiers' lives like that," I say.
"You're risking them either way."
"Then I want the risk to be as small as possible! They aren't ready for a journey like that, we barely had enough supplies to make it here. We can't go back to the camp, either. I… I led them all this way for nothing."
There's nothing any of us can say. We all just stand there, hopeless. There's no sound, except Casper sniffing at the ground.
"There's a scent," he says.
"What?" I turn around.
Casper sniffs again. "Smoky." Sniff sniff. "A fire-type, most definitely." The sound of vines ripping, more sniffing. "There's a strong scent leading into the tunnel. Someone was here in the past few hours."
My heart jumps. Dreigo? Is Dreigo here?! Did they escape?!
"There must be some way to open the door!" says Posy.
"Can you identify the species?" says Olivia.
"I can't," he sounds surprised, "it's not like any Pokémon I've ever tracked before. It smells like fire, flesh, and… saltwater."
The others mutter to each other, confused. I don't care. Whoever's in there has somehow taken Dreigo's power, and it's my job to take it back.
"My name is Prince Dei Varia," I declare, "Prince of Itori, Lord of the Glory Hills, Duke of Gloria City and Commander of the Poison Platoon, Priest of the Temple of Change! I am the brother of King Dreigo Varia, Lord of the Glory Lands, Commander of the Dragon's Head Battalion, High Priest of the Temple of Change, and Guardian of Mount. Chronicle. Whoever is in there, whether you are an ally or a trespasser, I demand that you open this door! Akenasai!"
The earth is shaking. Stone scrapes against stone, so loud I have to grit my teeth; but I can't cover my ears, I have to look strong. The tunnel's opening, and my soldiers are coming out.
Did Dreigo make me the Guardian? Does the Mountain know who I am?
But if that's the case, where did that other scent come from?
"Well done," I say, facing Casper, "without you, the mission might have been abandoned. Thank you for your service."
It seems like Casper can't make himself apologise, but at least he had something nice to say:
"I only hope my actions gave brought us closer to King Dreigo and Prince Zweil, your grace."
I smile. "Me too."
Casper clears his throat.
"Let's not waste any more time."
I order Oakley to hide the tunnel well once everyone's in. I still don't know how to close the door.
"Yes, my lord," the Chesnaught dutifully replies.
"This place gives me the ick," Posy mutters.
"Me too," Olivia replies.
"Don't be afraid," I say to them, "we're safe here. This is my brother's tunnel."
I lead the way in. It doesn't smell of very much. But when I put my nose close to the ground, I think I can smell what Casper could. Fire. Water. Dragon. It smells like Nova Hall.
The tunnel leads straight to the Temple of Nature. It's hot and humid, and I worry about my grass-type friends behind me, but no one says anything. When I ask if they're okay they say they are but their voices are all wobbly. I think they're "unnerved" (Zweil taught me that word.) I tell them we'll be at the Temple soon.
100 years ago, the Temple was blessed by the Forces of Nature. For the next "millenina", I think that means, like, a million years, the Temple will always be protected from the harshest winds, from thunderstorms, and healthy crops will always grow in its fields. A lot of people are confused why were worship these gods and not dragon-types, so let me explain.
It was a terrible battle between the three Legendary Birds. They fought for weeks, all across Itori, their attacks fell and destroyed the land underneath it. The battle was so long historiuhhh… hist… historying… history people split it up into three: the Battle in the Cold Storm, the Battle Above the Forest, and finally, the Battle of Ice and Fire, where the war was brought to the Halo Mountains. The Fire Bird chased the Freezer Bird across every peak, raining fire all the way, trying to strike them down. Fire cornered Freezer above Mount. Chronicle. That's when Freezer let out their counter attack, a terrible, terrible blizzard that destroyed everything around it. Fire escaped, but the Pokémon below didn't. The lucky few at the bottom of the mountain were the only ones left to tell the story. Without them, we might never have known why all those Pokémon died.
Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus saw our ancestor's suffering. They knew how terrible ice could be. So they came to help. Even for three Gods it took a whole week of working through the day and night, with no sleep, rest, or food. After that, it took months for the land to become habitch… habited… ha-bi-tu-bal again. Even then, it didn't look the same way again for decades.
My favourite God is Landorus. I like him because he helps the crops grow so we can make delicious food and be full and healthy. Zweil's favourite is Thundurus because he creates thunder and lightning, and he says they do really interesting things with the chemicals in the air. I don't really understand science, but it makes him happy, so I like it too! Dreigo likes Tornadus the best, because Tornadus brings the wind, and he says the wind can wipe away the bad things in the World, so good things can grow in their places. He's a lot like Dreigo in that way, I think. But all the Gods are important to us, I think as the tunnel gets warmer and the earth gets smoother, because they gave us our home.
I feel grainy sandstone beneath my feet and know I'm there.
I send most of the soldiers to the barracks to rest. Some of them come back to me complaining about the dust, the gravel, the "de-bree." I asked Pro to give me the names and species of every soldier a few times on the way over so I could remember them all, and I know we have six Pokémon on the team who could help: a Minccino, a Swablu, a Mr. Mime, a Toothy Grimer, a Panpour, and a Sylveon. I tell them they would be on cleaning duty, and after they finish they'll be rewarded with an extra portion of food each. That seems to make everyone happy. I hope it's enough for them. I don't even get to rest.
The wide halls are drafty now there are no Pokémon inside them. The fire-types light the torches on the wall so we can warm up. I remember the mini ones in my room that were shaped like Deino heads. I hope there's time to visit my room. I wonder if my old chew toys are still there, or my cuddly Hydreigon GoGo, or my Zweilous-shaped bed.
Then I remember I brought it all to Grande City. It's probably all gone now. I wonder if any of my friends are still here.
I guide my Pokémon up a staircase into the main corridor. The Temple's made up of three floors and a garden. The first floor is the biggest, the common area, and it always used to smell of food and parchment and Pokémon, but now the only thing in the air is dust.
Our footsteps echo, I'd never noticed an echo before. I take us to the mess hall hoping we'd left some food behind, but no, we'd taken it all with us for the journey to Grande City. It's so quiet it's kind of scary. There used to be hundreds of Pokémon here at once, any time you came down, day or night. Now it was just us. Most of the soldiers sit down at the tables, exhausted. The fireplace near the doorway is stone cold. I stick my head in. I get soot up my nose and stumble away and shake my head, full of sneezes.
The second floor is the barracks, where the soldiers sleep. Along the walls we used to keep the arms and armour of our most famous warriors. But we ran out of metal a few weeks before the war began. We were desperate, and we had to strip the statues clean. Then we lost most of what we had left after a group of criminals attacked our mines. I wonder how much is still there.
We walk past the fizzy… the fizzy-o... the stretching room, and I remember this is where Odie's armour is displayed. Odie the Deino is my favourite hero from any story (my biggest heroes being Dreigo and Zweil, of course.) I used to get my brothers to tell the story of her great battle against the God of the Crescent Moon a thousand times before bed. The glass has been smashed open. I reach out and touch the display rack. Nothing. No helmet, no chainmail, no dagger. There's nothing left of her but her name.
The third floor is for the Chieftain, their family, and their closest friends and advisors. Dreigo always met the most important Pokémon or sentenced the worst criminals in the same place, the Leviathan's Hall. That's where I take the Pokémon next. I feel the smooth stone hallways and know we're at the doors. It takes all six of us pushing to open them without the guardsmon's magic. Someone's on the other side. I can feel dragon-type energy stirring. Before anyone can stop me, I run through the gap. I'm the Prince, it's my job. No one breaks into my home and gets away with—
The dragon energy fades. A voice gasps and a familiar scent hits my nose.
"Gaiaaaaaaaa!"
"Dei!"
I run to her as fast as I possibly possibly can. I hear her stony scales moving as she bends down. We greet each other by booping noses. It's a very formal way of greeting for dragon-types, most people won't get it.
"Oh Gods," she sounds like she's about to cry, "I'm so glad you're okay, I'm so glad you're okay!"
I hug her foot, or as much of it as I can. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you more."
"I missed you the most!"
Gaia laughs. She rubs my fur with one of her big claws. I bite down on it and chew, and she laughs again, dangling me a few feet into the air like she used to.
"Where are the others, Gaia?" Pro asks.
"Is my mother here?" says Olivia.
Gaia puts me back on the floor.
"Maybe you should sit down," she says.
"No I don't want to sit down, just tell me."
Gaia lets out a deep breath. It makes my hair ruffle, and I giggle.
"Midnight's gone."
My heart stops.
"W…" Olivia begins. "What… What do you mean gone? You mean she's gone missing?!"
"I…" Gaia says, "I'm not sure."
"What do you mean you're not sure?!" Olivia yells. "How the hell can you not be sure?!"
"Don't yell at her," I try to warn the Ivysaur, but she ignores me.
"Where is my mother, Gaia?!"
"You all know by now, I'm guessing, about the plan to investigate Mount. Resolution?" Gaia says. "We were looking for a way to harness the Mountains' powers, to uncover the tomb of-"
"Get to the point," says Pro.
"We made it to this cave…" she starts speaking very fast, tripping on her words a bit, "it was filled with Unown tiles, hundreds of them, and then they all started coming to life. She tried to run but the door closed by itself. By the time I'd pried it open, she wasn't there anymore."
Olivia falls to the floor, sobbing. Posy is with her, whispering to her, trying to make her feel better, but she can't.
"But she could still be okay," I say, "missing doesn't mean gone forever."
"How can you know that?!" Olivia cries.
"I went missing," I say, "and I'm still here."
Olivia takes a breath, and I think she's calmed down a little bit. "I… Yeah, maybe. Maybe you're right. She can't be gone. She's my mother, she's Midnight, she's the most powerful mage there is. Magic can't hurt her."
"That's right," Posy says softly. "Let's go to the tea room and sit down, yeah?"
Olivia swallows. "Okay."
Both of them leave through the river door, and now I'm alone in a sea of responsibility.
That's when I notice the scent. The two flowery Pokémon (and the giant dinosaur) masked it, but I could smell it now. Fire and flesh. I stood facing it.
"Who else is there? Identify yourself."
Footsteps come closer, and my heart hurts and my stomach feels sick. It's a little different to the ones I've smelled before, but it's definitely the same species. A Charizard.
I want to run and hide, and curl up, and cry. But I stay calm. I'm getting really good at that now.
"I'm so sorry," Gaia says, "it just slipped my mind. Prince Dei, Prometheus, this is my new friend. His name is Fitzroy."