A/N: Hey everyone! So it's been a while, right? I've been working on this chapter for a really long time. At first, I wanted to write all three trials in one document and then upload it as one chapter, but as this chapter got longer and longer, I found that it may be more fitting to have each trial have its own chapter. So that's what I did
I hope you enjoy it!
It'd been months since that conversation with Archon Suicune.
As much as Morty wanted to put their talk out of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
Morty was angry and mad about what Eusine had said about his family and his culture, but he was also still so sad and hurt. Being belittled for his own beliefs scarred him.
But even after so much time had passed, Eusine had been as persistent as ever. He'd been sending letters to his apartment, his home at the compound, and at his job at the gym.
It annoyed him to no end, but it was probably the only reason why he was even considering what the Archon had told him.
The Divine Beasts' Trial of Three.
Eusine had been searching for the divine beasts for years, and this trial would be the only way to guarantee an audience with the objects of his desires.
As much as Morty wished to prevent Eusine from having any access to them, he also saw this as an opportunity for him to blot Eusine out of his life once and for all. If Eusine was really only trying to reconcile with him in order for Morty to help him find the divine trio, then he would surely leave Morty alone after he took the trial.
Right?
It took Morty another month to reach out to Eusine.
He responded to one of his letters and invited him out to eat at a nice restaurant in Celadon City. Morty booked a private table as well so that no one could listen in on their conversation.
Morty got to the restaurant first and had their food and drinks prepared to come out before Eusine got there.
When Eusine finally arrived, Morty got up and bowed to him. They barely made eye contact.
They sat and ate their meal in silence. When they were both done, they were both just sitting there awkwardly waiting for one of them to make a move.
"Thank you so much for inviting me here, Morty," said Eusine, "I've really been wanting to make amends and -"
"Thank you for your gratitude, but I did not contact you to make amends."
"Oh …"
"I have a proposition for you."
"What is it?"
"Are you still after the legendary beasts?"
Eusine blinked and frowned a little, not expecting such a question.
"Yes I am, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"What if I said I had a way for you to contact them?"
Something sparked in Eusine's eyes; a hint of intrigue.
Eusine leaned forward and said, "I'm listening."
"In my culture, there's a test called the Divine Beasts' Trial of Three. Each Archon has a trial that you must complete, and if you pass, you are guaranteed an audience with them."
"Why have I never heard of this before? I swear if anyone could just summon them then why are they so hard to find?"
"Because you have to be invited to partake in the trial. Only those who the Archons call for can take it. It's also a very private ordeal. And you also have to have one of the beasts' anointed to administer the trial."
"Who'll be the anointed?"
"Me"
"You?!"
Morty could tell that Eusine wanted to ask more but he refrained.
"What do each of these trials consist of? What will I have to do?"
"Each trial is made up of three parts. The end goal of each trial is to find each of the Archon's special altar's and give an offering to them.
The first one is Archon Entei's. The trial is called the Test of Knowledge and will be testing the virtue of power. For Archon Entei, you will first have to take an oral exam that will be administered by me and six sages of the Old Religion. If you pass that stage, then you will be dropped off in the Royal Johtonian Library. There, you will research where Archon Entei's altar is. Once you figure it out, we will move on to the next phase. Once we reach the location of the altar, you will have to figure out what you are supposed to sacrifice there. Once all three steps are complete, you will have passed.
The second one is Archon Raikou's. The trial is known as the Battle of Wills and will be testing the virtue of courage. You will first have to win pokemon battles against three of the sages. Each sage will give you a riddle that will lead you to the location of Archon Raikou's altar. If you win all three battles, you must next find the location of the Archon's altar and then figure out what to sacrifice on it.
The third and last trial is Archon Suicune's. The trial is known as the Dance of Beauty and will be testing the virtue of wisdom. You will have to learn the basics of Johtonian traditional dance. Then you will create your own dance and perform it in front of me, six of the sages, and all eight kimono girls. If we all deem that your performance is worthy, you will pass and have to figure out where the Archon's altar is. Once you find the location, you will head out there and sacrifice on the altar."
"I don't know Morty; that sounds like a lot. Even with your explanation, there are still so many questions I have."
"Not everything can be revealed right now. But just know you will always have support during this trial. Nothing that happens should blindside you."
"I'm still not sure. Can I have some time to think about it?"
Morty nodded, "Sure, just let me know whenever you are ready."
With that, Morty got up, bowed, and then walked out the restaurant.
It was up to Eusine now.
It only took a week for Eusine to make a decision.
As soon as he got back home from his meeting with Morty, he was restless. He couldn't settle. He had insomnia for days and felt as if he was going crazy.
On one hand, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
On the other, this could all have been an elaborate trap and a reason for Morty not to forgive him.
He was wrestling with himself on what to choose. As much as he wanted to try his hand in the trial, he also didn't want to give Morty any more reason to hate him.
But in the end, Eusine chose to accept Morty's offer.
This could be the only opportunity he could ever get to finally see the legendary beasts with his own eyes. This had been his dream for so so long. He didn't want to give this up, even if he did want to repair his relationship with Morty. And besides, would Morty have even brought up this trial to him if he wasn't sort of amenable to him? He was sure that Morty wouldn't have even offered this to him if there wasn't a sliver of trust there. And maybe, while taking this trial, Eusine could find a way to get Morty to talk to him again.
After that week, Eusine sent a letter to Morty stating his intentions to participate in the trial.
Morty stated that the trial was flexible; so they could start whenever he was ready.
Eusine decided to wait just one more month. He wanted to be prepared. The first trial was a test of sorts. And even though he's spent years doing research on the three legendary beasts, he also wanted to make sure that he covered his bases.
Eusine spent a month reading, studying, and memorizing everything he could find on the legendary trio. He read everything he could in the Royal Kantonian Library and even got temporary access back into the Royal Johtonian Library to read what they had as well. He couldn't read everything in the Johtonian Library because he did not speak the language, but he did try to get a general overall understanding and even asked Morty for help a few times.
By the end of the month, Eusine felt that he was as ready as he could possibly be and set his first trial date.
The trial took place at a private room in the Plum Blossom Royal Palace in Ecruteak City.
To Eusine, the sight of the city felt nostalgic. He hadn't been back since his falling out with Morty.
He was intimidated by the sight of the Johtonian royal palace. While he has visited the Kantonian one, he didn't expect his trial to be there. At the least, he thought it would be at a library, a temple, or even at Morty's residence. Never did he think he would step foot in a place where the highest political leader in Johto lived.
The sight caused his heart to race. He took deep breaths to calm himself.
Eventually, he and Morty were led into a private room where everyone else was waiting for them.
All of the visitors were wearing formal, native Johtonian clothing. Eusine felt a bit out of place since he just decided to wear his best suit. Morty was wearing an outfit that was in between the two.
There was a long, low-seating table in the middle of the room. The table could seat seven people. All six sages were seated on top of a cushion. Three sages sat to the left and three sages sat to the right. There was clearly a seat left open in the middle among them.
Morty immediately left Eusine's side to take his place at the head table, in the middle of the sages.
In the back left corner of the room, there were three people present. They were all kneeling on a cushion.
In front of the head table was a lone cushion. Eusine assumed he was supposed to sit there; so he did. He sat down and criss-crossed his legs.
He sat there for a second before he gave a quick bow, assuming he was supposed to do one.
With that, Morty began to speak.
"Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here today to bear witness and administer the Divine Beasts' Trial of Three. I am Matsuba Mordecai, head anointed of the Divine Beasts. I will be leading this trial today. I will now allow everyone in the room to introduce themselves. We will start with those at the head table, then our guests in the back, and finish off with our trial goer."
"Ohayō gozaimasu. I am Mitsunaka Yuriko, sage and anointed of Archon Entei."
"Good morning. Kishimoto Koshi, sage and anointed of Archon Raikou."
"Hello everyone, my name is Hayashi Hayami, sage and anointed of Archon Suicune."
"Konnichiwa. I am Tachibana Haru, sage and anointed of Gin Lugia."
"Good morning everyone. My name is Shoyo Megumi, sage and anointed of Gorudo Ho-Oh."
"Hello. I am Hayato Hiroto. I will be the sage acting as secretary to record this trial."
Then the three people in the back stood up, bowed, and introduced themselves.
These trials were very-tight lipped; however, there were three people who could witness the trial as observers: a Johtonian monarch or their heir, the conduit for the Gin, and the conduit for the Gorudo.
"Ohayō gozaimasu. I am Miyamoto Hitomi, crown princess of Johto, acting as an observer."
"Ohayō gozaimasu. Ogawa Mako, Phoenix Priest, acting as an observer."
"Ohayō gozaimasu. Matsuba Fumiko, Dragon Priestess, acting as an observer."
Morty then looked at Eusine and nodded his head, signaling for him to introduce himself.
"Hello everyone. My name is Eusine Minaki. I am today's trial goer. It's an honor to be here."
Once introductions were complete, Morty took back the attention and described how the trial would be administered.
"Today, we will begin the first part of Archon Entei's trial known as the Test of Knowledge. Five of the sages will ask two questions for a total of ten. All ten questions have the possibility of having one follow up question, asked by myself. If you keep getting questions correct, you will continue to be asked questions until there are no more left. If you get a single question wrong, the trial will immediately conclude with you having failed. If you fail, you will be able to retake the Test of Knowledge one year from now. If you fail it a second time, you can retake it in ten years from then. If you fail it a third time, you will not be able to retake it, and would have failed the Divine Beasts' Trial of Three. Any questions?"
Eusine shook his head.
"Then let the trial commence."
Sage Mitsunaka was the first to ask a question.
"Trial goer, the Archon that makes up the Divine Beasts' are known to Johtonians as representing three virtues. What virtues are those?"
Eusine remembers, just barely, that Morty once told him the answer to this question. It was when Morty was describing all the trials to him. Eusine felt confident in answering this question.
"Entei represents the virtue of power. Raikou represents the virtue of courage. Suicune represents the virtue of wisdom."
Sage Mitsunaka nodded her head.
"Why are the Archon linked to those specific virtues?" asked Morty.
Eusine's heart started to race. He wasn't sure why they were linked just that they were. But he decided it would be better to let them know what he was thinking then to not say anything at all.
"I know that Entei represents power. Entei is also known to be the most knowledgeable and was said to help the Johtonians create their written language. There is a common saying that knowledge is power. So that is why I'm assuming Entei represents power. Raikou is said to represent courage. Raikou is the most known for helping travelers reach their destinations. Raikou is said to go to great lengths to help those in need, and that takes much courage. Suicune represents wisdom. Wisdom is taking knowledge and information and using it to make good judgements. Many courts in Johto are known for having symbols of Suicune decorating the area. Suicune is also called upon when important decisions are being made."
Morty nodded at his answer, and Eusine immediately let out a held breath.
Sage Kishimoto was next to ask a question.
"The Divine Beasts are known to be directly under the jurisdiction of Gorudo Ho-Oh. What are the Archon's connection to Gorudo Ho-Oh outside of the famous Legend of the Burned Tower."
Eusine vaguely remembers reading about Ho-Oh and Lugia. He knew they were a significant part of the Old Religion, but the majority of his time was spent studying the three beasts.
"I know that Ho-Oh represents rebirth, renewal, and reincarnation. The divine beasts represent different parts of the process of reincarnation or rebirth. Entei is the fire that burns the old self. Suicune is the water that purifies and makes you clean. Raikou is the lightning that reanimates you so that you may live again. They also represent part of the process of reincarnation. The knowledge you gained in your past life; the wisdom to make better decisions in your new life; and the courage to live again."
Sage Kishimoto looked pleased.
Sage Hayashi asked the next question.
"The Archon have always played an important part in our thousand year old culture. However, we had only just built a temple for them, known as the Temple of Alph, a few hundred years ago. Why was the Temple of Alph built then and not at the beginning of our relationship with the Gin and Gorudo?"
This was something that Eusine felt more comfortable with. He may not know everything about Johtonian religion and culture, but he does know history quite well.
"Even though Entei, Raikou, and Suicune had always been very connected to Ho-Oh and Lugia, it wasn't until Johto's 650th year that they established a better relationship. King Nobunaga was known to have built many altars for the divine beasts. It was rumored that the king had a very personal relationship with them."
The sage just stared blankly at Eusine, not giving anything away.
Eusine felt his heart drop to his stomach until he heard Morty ask a follow up question.
"As you know, currently, the Temple of Alph is abandoned. Why is that?"
Eusine gulped.
"After the events of the Burned Tower, there was a lot of discord among the Johtonian people. Many believed the covenant made with the Ho-Oh and Lugia to now be destroyed; while others disagreed. This led to many people abandoning the old ways and the abandonment of the Temple of Alph."
Morty nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Sage Tachibana then asked the next question.
"We've brought up the Legend of the Burned Tower many times now but have not talked about it in depth. The Burned Tower used to be known as the Bell Tower, and Gin Lugia used to perch upon it. Who or what destroyed the Bell Tower?"
Again, more history that Eusine was comfortable with. He would be a fool not to know the events behind the Burned Tower.
"General Gimsa of the Eastern Lands. It is known that he commanded a Pokémon to create a storm cloud to strike down the tower with lightning. Eventually the tower went up in flames with a soft drizzle barely putting the fire out."
"What were General Gimsa's motives?" asked Morty.
"He wanted power and control. At the time he was staging a military coup and had control of Johtonian lands to the east and to the south. He then took his troops to the capital to enact a full takeover.
With Eusine's answer, Sage Shoyo began to ask the next question.
"Now that we have discussed the Legend of the Burned Tower, we must delve into it a bit more. There are three famed pokémon who died in the fire that consumed the Bell Tower. Gorudo Ho-Oh saw and in its mercy resurrected the three and turned them into image bearers of the Divine Beasts. What were those three pokémon?"
This was a quick and easy question. Eusine knew the legend like the back of his hand. He's read it countless of times. There's no way for him to get this one wrong.
"According to Legend," said Eusine, "The three famed pokémon were Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon. All three final evolutions to Eevee."
"Why were these three chosen to be resurrected instead of reincarnated or allowed to pass on to the next life?" asked Morty.
This was definitely not what Eusine was expecting. He's not sure what to answer. He's never read anything that even said anything about that. All he could do was give his own theories he's just concluded.
"Well, Ho-Oh represents reincarnation while Lugia represents the creation of the soul, the part of you that's eternal. The burning down of Bell Tower in a way almost symbolizes the destruction of the soul. According to Johtonian religious texts, at the end of time, Ho-Oh will burn the world in its fire and out of the ashes, life will be reborn again. Assuming this, one could say that Ho-Oh saw the burning of the Bell Tower as a symbol for the end of the world. And so, what more fitting of a gesture than to have something be born from the ashes."
It felt like Morty stared at him for a long time. Not a single word was uttered. They just both held eye contact. Eusine had to sit on his hands to stop them from shaking.
Eventually, Sage Shoyo went ahead and asked the next question, and Eusine's eyes changed focus.
"Now that we have discussed in depth the Legend of the Burned Tower, what do the three resurrected image bearers symbolize?"
"It is said that Raikou was the lightning that struck the Bell Tower; Entei was the fire that consumed it; and Suicune was the rain that began to pour that day."
The sage nodded her head in agreement.
Next, Sage Tachibana asked a question.
"The Legend of the Burned Tower is one of the most prominent tales that speak of the Archons' image bearers. However, we know they are not the only ones. Why do so many image bearers of the Archon exist?"
"From my understanding, all image bearers seen with a human had earned them and were given to them as a gift. I would say many exist to spread their influence across the world. I guess you could say in some respects, they are lower in the hierarchy of the pantheon; so they can or feel more willing to, have more image bearers than those above them."
Eusine looked at Morty to see if there would be any more follow up questions. But Morty just stared right back at him.
Sage Hayashi continued on.
"Now that we have gone through all the general questions, we will ask you a question about each of the Divine Beasts. Since I am one of the anointed of Archon Suicune, I will ask the question about them. Archon Suicune is known for purifying bodies of water all across the Earth. Why is that?"
Eusine knows everything there is to know about Suicune, and this question doesn't seem hard to him. Though, he can think of two distinct answers to the question being asked. He hopes he won't get marked for it.
"I think there may be two answers to this question. A short, more direct interpretation and a longer, more abstract one. For the short one, it's just one of Suicune's assigned duties to purify water. There are three different councils that are known among Arceusite religions. Those councils are Sky, Land, and Water. For each council, there are four positions: creator, ruler, protector, and purifier. Suicune sits as the purifier of the Water Council. For the longer, more abstract answer, Suicune represents the actions of Ho-Oh's fire. Ho-Oh's fire is stated to purify the souls of all humans at the end of time. Suicune purifying water represents Ho-Oh's ability of soul purification."
Sage Hayashi nodded her head in acknowledgement.
Sage Kishimoto spoke next.
"As an anointed of Archon Raikou, I will ask you the next question pertaining to them. Archon Raikou is considered a symbol of war and victory in Johto. Why?"
Eusine took a deep breath to steady his beating heart. He only had two questions left. He could do this.
"Raikou is said to represent the fighting spirit of each human soul. Raikou represents our will to fight and live on. Many image bearers of Raikou have been given to prominent war generals in Johto's past. There is also a story about how when an enemy was laying siege to the Johtonian Royal Palace, the current princess of the time prayed to Raikou. Raikou heard her call, protected them, and defeated their enemy."
Sage Kishimoto nodded in acceptance.
Sage Mitsunaka spoke next.
"The last question we have for you about Archon Entei will be given by me, one of their anointed. Where does Archon Entei rest?"
For the first time, Eusine was drawing a blank. The question seemed simple, but it also didn't make much sense. It almost felt like a trick question.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Entei, Raikou, and Suicune are known to travel all over the world fulfilling their duties. They never stay in one place too long. Entei is known to be found in places that have many active volcanoes, such as the ones on Cinnabar Island and the Whirl Isles. But Entei doesn't truly rest anywhere."
Eusine closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. It was over. He was sure he failed the test, but at least he tried. He gave it everything he had, and for that, he was proud of himself.
It seemed that the sages and Morty were quietly deliberating amongst themselves until Morty decided to speak.
"Congratulations Trial Goer. You fared well and passed the Test of Knowledge. One week from now, I will let you know the second part of Archon Entei's trial.
Eusine immediately looked up and made eye contact with Morty. He roamed all over his face looking for any sign of deception. He found none; only a man with pure convictions.
Eusine nodded his head and said, "Thank you."
A week later, Eusine was still waiting to hear from Morty.
Eusine was buzzing out of his skin. He was so elated to have completed the first part of Entei's trial, but he was also so nervous to see what would happen next. Never in his life had he been so close to what he wanted. Any little mistake could destroy that.
Near the end of the week, Eusine received a letter from Morty that stated for him to come to the Royal Johtonian Library in Ecruteak City.
Eusine immediately booked a one-way train ticket to the city.
When Eusine arrived at the city, he immediately got a hotel room and washed up before heading to the library at the stated time.
As Eusine was heading inside the library, he started to get a bit nervous. This would be the second time Eusine was alone with Morty. While this meeting did have a purpose, he couldn't help but think of how awkward it would be.
Eusine decided to go to the fourth floor of the library where they used to come when they were on better terms. With each step he took, he tried to focus his thoughts and calm his mind.
When he reached the fourth floor, he could already see Morty sitting at a table in the far corner. No one else was present, but that was to be expected. The fourth floor of the library was where texts that could not be checked out were located. These documents never left the library. Most people were more interested in the books they could take home with them unless they had a special project coming up.
When Eusine reached the table that Morty was at, he made his presence known and sat down across from him.
Morty gave Eusine a small bow and then began to speak.
"Good afternoon Eusine. Welcome to the next part of Archon Entei's trial. You are being tasked with finding the location of the Archon's special altar. With all the books in this library, you should be able to figure out where it is located. Once you think you found the location, come find me. If you are correct, I will immediately take you to the location. If you are incorrect, I will say as much."
"Ok, I just have one question."
"Go on."
"What makes these altars so special? There must be hundreds of altars for the legendary beasts. And yet I have to find three specific ones. That kind of seems a bit easy to me. I should be able to easily narrow them down. What's the catch?"
"There is no catch," said Morty, "These three altars are special because they are hidden away and only the anointed of those Archon are allowed to bring sacrifices to them. Giving offerings to those altars specifically denotes a special relationship one would have with the Archon. The only exception are the trial goers who are seeking an audience from them. Does this answer your question?"
"Yes it does."
"Ok, now go. I'll be here periodically if you need me."
Eusine immediately went to work.
He first started by using his computer to narrow down potential options for the location of such an altar.
Eusine has read almost every book in this library about the legendary beasts. He's sure that there was no information about this altar that he doesn't already know.
Eusine first started his search by looking up lists of sacred sites to Entei in the region as well as any sites that have been dedicated to Entei.
This search proved to overwhelm Eusine. There were so many places he needed to look into to provide any fruitful results.
Eusine also looked into every library that could be dedicated to Entei since Entei represented the virtue of knowledge. This would have been helpful except for the fact that every single library in the region was dedicated to Entei.
Eusine spent weeks looking into many different places, but no site seemed right. He was tired and wanted to give up. But he decided to talk to Morty first.
They met back up at the library. With Eusine airing out all his grievances about this process.
"You've wasted a lot of your own time. You've been going about the search all wrong. Tell me, what virtue does Archon Entei represent?"
Eusine rolled his eyes, "Entei represents the virtue of knowledge."
"And what is associated with knowledge."
"I've already been looking into libraries, Morty, but there's so many of them!" Eusine huffed.
"What are libraries associated with?"
Eusine was starting to think that this was a trick question. What was Morty getting at?
Many libraries are stand-alone, sponsored by either the government or a private entity, but there were many libraries that were attached to different schools.
Is that what Morty wanted Eusine to think about?
"Once you figure it out, come back and find me."
So Eusine headed back out again to get to work.
Eusine decided this time to narrow down his search by looking at schools that had libraries that were dedicated to Entei as well as looking for schools that were dedicated to Entei as well.
It still took Eusine a few weeks to narrow down the results even more, but he found five universities that stood out to him the most. There wasn't a whole lot of information online about them; so he decided to look up information about the universities in the documents in the library.
In doing so, one university really stood out to him the most.
Toshokan University.
East of Violet City was a town known by the name of Obsidian View.
This town had a long held connection to Toshokan University. Obsidian View was the previous capital city of Johto before Ecruteak City. This was due to the connection between the university and the town. Due to this connection, Obsidian View was seen as a city filled to the brim with knowledge. Many times a year did people make pilgrimages to the city in order to gain a new revelation or insight.
Because of the reputation of the city and Toshokan University, many members of the royal family would send their progeny there. The old monarchs of Johto wanted their subjects to associate them with having great amounts of knowledge. This in turn led to many members of nobility to send their children to the university as well in order to get an education. To this day, members of the royal family continue to send their children to Toshokan University.
Toshokan University was the first post-secondary institution ever created in Johto. The university was founded by a group of monks that dedicated their lives to the Original One, Gin Lugia, Gorudo Ho-Oh, and Archons Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. They were known to be book makers. They copied many great documents and texts across the region and stored them in their library. This led to the creation of Toshokan Library, the largest library in all of Johto. As their reputation grew, more and more students came in search of their university in order to gain more knowledge to bring back to their communities.
Even though the monks that started the university were in connection with many almegans, it was said that they were led by Archon Entei to create their monastery in Obsidian View, which eventually ended up becoming the great Toshokan University and Library that it is today. Even in modern times, it is stated that each President of the university had always been chosen and anointed by Archon Entei.
Morty and Eusine were currently on their way to Obsidian View.
They both took a car driven by a chauffeur to take them to the city. The drive was four hours long and agonizingly awkward. Morty read a book the entire drive there while Eusine just tried to steady his beating heart. As they were getting closer and closer to the city, Eusine couldn't help but feel nervous. He had one more task to do before completing Entei's Trial. He wanted to be successful and not fail and have to wait a year to retake the trial. Eventually, Eusine drifted off into sleep, giving his mind a nice rest.
Once the car stopped, Morty nudged Eusine to wake up. Eusine startled a bit and rubbed his eyes awake. When he looked outside the window, he noticed they were parked in front of a large traditional Johtonian manor.
Morty quickly got out of the vehicle, and Eusine soon followed.
In front of the manor was a man with short black hair wearing a nice suit. When Morty got in front of him, he bowed and then hugged the man. Eusine then clumsily did the same.
The man then ushered them into the manor and a few members of staff went around to fetch some snacks and tea for them.
As Eusine looked around the manor, he could see that there was a lot of history in the place. Many ancient scrolls hung on the walls behind glass. Traditional tapestries and paintings dotted the walls as well. But even though the manor was old, it was also very well kept and up-to-date. There was a refrigerator and a dishwasher in the kitchen, and a tv in every room.
All three men ended up sitting in the living room in various chairs with their snacks. They chatted idly for a while before getting to more serious business.
"Ah, I know we've exchanged pleasantries, but allow me to introduce myself," said the owner of the manor, "My name is Fujii Teruo, President of Toshokan University. Welcome to Chishiki Manor."
"The pleasure is ours," said Morty.
"I think this is the first trial-goer I've ever had the pleasure to witness. This is quite exciting!" said Teruo, "Tell me Eusine, what made you go down this path."
"Well, I've always been interested in the Legendary Beasts,especially Suicune," said Eusine, "I've been researching them for a long time and have put out many papers about them. I've been studying and looking all over Johto just to get a glimpse of them; so being able to have this opportunity has been surreal."
"Wow! A researcher! Do tell, with your more pragmatic view, how did you decide to go through with this trial?"
"Well," chuckled Eusine, "Morty and I had been friends for a while before we drifted apart. I've known Morty's role in the Old Religion for a long time. So, when he presented this opportunity to me, I gladly took it."
"And now we're here for the last portion of Archon Entei's Trail," interjected Morty, "Now he's completed the first two steps of the trial. And he's here to find Archon Entei's Tokubetsu."
A Tokubetsu was an altar or a shrine that denoted a special relationship with an almegan. One had to be invited in order to be a part of it and share in the experience. Many Tokubetsu were shrouded in mystery behind monasteries, abbeys, and hard to reach castles.
"Well good luck," said Terou, "I would say finding Archon Entei's Tokubetsu will not be a problem, but figuring out what offerings to give may be a bit tricky."
Eusine nodded his head. He figured this last part of the trial would be hard, and he hoped he's up for the challenge of it.
Once they were done with their meal, Morty finished giving the rest of the rules for the trial. Eusine had to find the Tokubetsu by sunrise the next day. Once he finds it, the surrounding area will provide the offering. The last bit of information that Morty gave was that the Tokubetsu was found somewhere inside the manor.
So, at least he had a place to start.
For Eusine, the first place he thought of looking was the study or the library (depending on if the manor had either of these rooms). Both seemed to be places of knowledge and could be potential places of the Tokubetsu.
Eusine first went to look through the President's study on the first floor. He looked through every nook and cranny. He searched all the drawers in the desk, all of the file cabinets, and turned over every book on the bookshelf (which were mostly just books on philosophy and electrical engineering).
To be honest, Eusine didn't know what he was looking for. What would the Tokubetsu look like? He was really just hoping it would stand out and be obvious.
Once he was done with the study, he then went around different rooms of the manor before going to the library.
The library was located in the back corner of the manor and spanned the entire East wing. There was a list at the front of the library that had all of the books the library contained with where they were located.
Eusine first just went around the entire library to look around and see if there was anything suspicious that would lead him to what he needed.
When he found nothing, Eusine decided to try to narrow down his list of potential books that he could search. Unlike the study, there were more than ten times the amount of books in the library. He would never be able to search each book individually and meet the deadline of sunrise.
So, Eusine decided to start by looking for books that were written about or written by any of the past university presidents, which were anointed by Entei.
It was nightfall, and Eusine only got through half of his list. But with strength, he kept moving forward. There wasn't much time left, and he needed to hurry.
By the time it was 3am, he only had a quarter of his list left. He was so close to getting through everything.
The next book on his list was titled "A Complete History of the Presidents of Toshokan University: Fifth Edition." When he pulled the book out of its spot, a drawer unlocked and became slightly ajar.
Could this be it? Could this be the Tokubetsu?
Eusine slowly opened the drawer. Inside was a thick brown journal with a metal clasp. When Eusine picked up the journal, there was a golden symbol at the bottom of the drawer. It was the symbol of Entei. He's seen it many times before. Sometimes authors would put the symbol on the back of a book to denote that it was dedicated to Entei.
This must be it. Shouldn't it?
When Eusine opened the journal, he saw many journal entries going back as far as one hundred years ago. Some entries were short while others spanned pages. All seemed like prayers written towards Entei. Though some seemed like historical entries, diary pages, or research papers. He briefly skimmed the entries, not wanting to seem like he was invading anyone's privacy.
Eusine wondered if he was supposed to put down his own entry? Was this the offering they were telling him about?
It was only an hour until sunrise. Eusine was tired. There was no way he had time to explore other options.
So, he took out his pen and wrote. He wrote and wrote and wrote until he saw the tendrils of light fluttering through the window. He wrote the only thing he knew like the back of his hand, his research. And at the end of it all, he left a space of acknowledgement to Morty and Entei for allowing him the opportunity to do this trial.
When he was done, Eusine immediately went down stairs where Morty and Teruo were awake and waiting for him.
A few attendants brought out some food and drink for him while Morty and Terou went to go see whether he completed this part of the trial of three.
Of the two, only Morty came back.
He said, "Congratulations. You have completed Entei's Trial in the Divine Beasts Trial of Three."
Word Count: 6,707
Published: Monday, December 4, 2023
Status: 5/7
A/N: Thank you so much for reading to the end of this chapter. I really love this story so much and am grateful for all those who read it 3