Draco: I'm fairly confident this is the most simultaneous storylines I've ever had in a single work.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Yaksha: Only Inevitability
"Does this kingdom ever see daylight?"
Oichi glanced up towards the dark clouds at Driftwalker's remark. "The environment isn't the worst part." She shook her head. "Seems like there's always one kingdom that suffers a darkness like this. And it always seems to be accompanied by a Warlord who does his damnedest to darken the people, as well."
Driftwalker turned to her. "Is that why you were so hesitant to come here?"
"Yeah." Oichi shook her head. "Here's hoping he's at least learned his lesson after the last time we spoke."
They made their way through town, approached the cluster of dark crystal pillars where Yaksha Castle had once stood. Several Warriors and Pokémon were gathered there, and a darkly-armoured man with a Zoroark was perched on a nearby rooftop; on seeing the new arrivals, Kotarō only grinned down at them. "Ha... Oichi of Dragnor. And a stranger with a strange beast..."
Iron Valiant looked offended.
Oichi shook her head. "Not a beast."
"But on a similar scale of strength, I would wager," Kotarō observed, propelling himself off the rooftop. "Are you here as guests, or would you help us host?"
"Kotarō of Yaksha, asking for help before it's offered?" Oichi exclaimed. "Sounds like someone's hospitality has come back to bite him."
"Only so much as it did the Guzzlord," Kotarō insisted. "Surely after coming all the way from Aurora, you are not ignorant of our unruly guests. They say every kingdom in Ransei is playing host to these new arrivals - and they have an unpopular opinion of what constitutes an acceptable wait between visits."
A bell sounded from further into town, and the Warriors and Pokémon all got to their feet and sprinted towards the crystals.
"Speaking of Antimatter..."
To Oichi's surprise, Kotarō and Zoroark immediately dashed after the other Warriors; she and Driftwalker traded glances before making to follow suit, with Wigglytuff, Hatterene, and Valiant close behind them. The crystals' hollow seemed to blend with the darker crystals that stood in Yaksha, but as they approached, they surely found Pokémon emerging from it - a Gumshoos stood at the fore of a group that included a Garbodor, Watchog, Drapion, Leipard, and Toucannon. Yaksha's front line moved forward to face them - a Hydreigon, Bisharp, Spiritomb, Weavile, and Krookodile in addition to Zoroark - and Kotarō stepped to the fore of the group with his claws at the ready.
"I fear you've chosen a poor time to visit," he proclaimed. "Is there any chance I could convince you to leave us for now, and return another day?"
The Gumshoos gave an angry snap, leaning forward intimidatingly.
"No?" With a sinister chuckle, Kotarō raised one hand over his eye. "Then you're in no position to complain about the entertainment."
A bloody howling seemed to echo across the area, and Oichi stumbled back in shock. "What the-?!"
Driftwalker started as she saw a pit of darkness extend forward before Kotarō. "It can't be-!"
"Suffused with night, we shall prevail
In moonlight's chill shine petals pale
In sunless gloom, black tendrils trail
And all the world shall see you fail..."
A white wisp emerged from the darkness, and was swiftly followed by a crimson ring.
"Come forth! Darkrai, black as pitch!"
The Newmoon Nightmare gave a hellish cry, and the void from which it had emerged scattered into mist as the attacking Pokémon charged forward. Darkrai swept forward, and the Warriors of Yaksha bid their Pokémon follow the charge; streams of shadow surged forth from Darkrai's outstretched claws, and converged on the attackers. In an instant, their advance slowed to a stop, and Oichi saw from the Gumshoos that they were asleep - but it was a fitful sleep, neither restful nor pleasant.
Wracked with bad dreams as they were, it was a simple matter for the army of Yaksha to take them down; Hydreigon finished off the Drapion and Leipard with a vicious Dragon Pulse, and a Dark Pulse from the Nightmare knocked out Gumshoos, Garbodor, Watchog, and Toucannon. As sleep gave way to unconsciousness, Darkrai drifted back, and a pair of long, stilt-like legs emerged from beneath the drape of its body, touching down on the ground as it beheld the attackers.
Crystalline dust swirled around each of the unconscious Pokémon, and when it parted, they had vanished.
With a huff, Kotarō raised a hand over his shoulder, and the gathered Warriors and their Pokémon began to walk away; Darkrai gave a formal-looking bow towards the crystal's hollow as another void appeared beneath it, descending into the darkness and vanishing as Kotarō turned to Oichi and Driftwalker. "We might be run ragged," he confessed, "but our guests are well within our ability to host."
Oichi smirked. "I had a feeling it might have something like this."
"Ha?"
Driftwalker turned to her in bafflement. "I'm... sorry? You expected him to have a Link with the Newmoon Nightmare?!"
"Maybe not specifically," Oichi admitted. "But might I be accurate in guessing that the crystals happened while you were meeting with him? Or at least while you were still en route back?"
Kotaro glanced back at the crystals in confusion. "...Perhaps?"
Oichi nodded. "So many kingdoms' armies had a reason to be out of the castle when the crystals hit. A lot of them refused to elaborate on what - and I'm not sure I blame them. Ginchiyo just mentioned bizarre thunderclouds in the sky garden, Ujiyasu claimed there was an unusual cave, and Masamune said a ravine appeared inside the mountain. But after Motonari admitted to running into the Time Traveller again, and you've encountered the Nightmare, it's easy to put the pieces together.
She shook her head. "Legendary Pokémon are fickle. They don't stick around after the Link is forged. When they appear in a kingdom - however they appear in a kingdom - it causes a disturbance. The Warriors notice that disturbance, they go to investigate it. But they're normally isolated incidents. This time, a disturbance has happened in almost every kingdom in Ransei... and it got almost every Warrior in the kingdom out of the castles before these crystals consumed the castles and started marching in attackers. That's too many coincidences to be a coincidence."
"Are you saying every legendary Pokémon in Ransei knew this was going to happen?" Driftwalker asked.
"Maybe not knew, for a certainty," Oichi insisted, "but at least felt something coming." She glanced at where Darkrai had been. "Which means they might be willing to help us when we finally launch our counteroffensive."
"Oh?" Kotarō grinned. "You would have our guests host us in return?"
"I would," Oichi insisted. "But not until we can lock the door." She reached into her bag. "Here, com-crystals. Distribute them to everyone under your command. As soon as someone figures out a way to shut down these attacks, they'll pass it on to everyone else. We'll bar every path but one so that we can trust Ransei will be safe - and then we'll take the road the other way."
+x+x+x+
"Oichi! Is that you?"
The remark caught Oichi and Driftwalker as they were making camp on the road to Viperia; the healer raised her gaze to find a familiar ninja approaching. "Nene!" she greeted. "And... a Sea Drifter? You're the one who was defending that prince's Egg."
The Phione clinging to Nene's shoulder nodded; the ninja herself crossed her arms. "Yeah, she started making a disturbance in the waters offshore again, a few days before the crystals hit. I was on Kitsuno's ship when they ripped up, and everyone decided it could wait. Once we'd gotten used to defense, I reckoned I could go check things out, and she said she was willing to lend a hand on shore."
Driftwalker turned to Oichi. "Now I'm convinced you're right," she insisted, "it's not a coincidence."
"Indeed," Oichi mused. Then, turning to Nene; "Was there anyone in Viperia Castle when things crystallized?"
Nene's gaze fell. "...Hanzō and Gengar were training by themselves on the battlefield." Then, to Oichi; "What about you? The fact that you're out here with a stranger means..."
Oichi closed her eyes. "Evia and Kaguya were taken, too," she confirmed. "But this 'stranger' has been victim to the crystals before."
Driftwalker nodded. "Yes. When it happened to me, I found myself transported to another region - and came back to find the crystals consuming my home."
"Another region," Nene sighed. "I want to believe Hanzō can handle himself, but him getting back home is another matter."
"No kidding," Oichi insisted. "One thing at a time, Nene. We'll keep Ransei safe; then we can focus on bringing back everyone who was scattered."
"Everyone?" Nene echoed. "Who else has been involved?"
"Kai was visiting Avia on business when it hit," Oichi replied, "and Magoichi was hosting her. Shingen and Kenshin were at home, too. I'm hoping that's everyone, but..."
"But you've still got to check in on the Dragnor Trigram," Nene mused. "In that case, you want me to pass on whatever you were going to Viperia for?"
"If you're willing to save me the trip," Oichi insisted, "I would much appreciate it."
Draco: I did something grossly unfair with Dark Void once, completely by accident, and I have yet to live it down. I couldn't have the Newmoon Nightmare in an actual fight scene and not make reference to that. Here's the gameplay details for the newly-revealed legendary Pokémon.
Darkrai
-Range: 4
-Move: Dark Pulse
-Ability: Open Void
Phione
-Range: 3
-Move: Bubble Beam
-Ability: Mood Maker
Dark Pulse (Dark)
-Attack area: four adjacent tiles (i.e. Night Daze)
-Effect: chance to cause flinching
Open Void
-Can put nearby Pokémon to sleep with nightmares, inflicting damage each turn asleep
...Yes, I have a legendary Pokémon assigned to every ruling Warlord in Ransei (give or take some tricksy workarounds regarding Valora). But I'd rather not dump the entire load in one chapter.