Draco: I probably wouldn't have so much trouble with the character limit if I just numbered the chapters like a normal person, but the location label has been the standard for all my big Ransei stories. Half the fun is getting to include a #WhamLine in the chapter title.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Aurora: Towers of Crystal
"Max Potions, Antidotes, Burns Heals, Paralyze Heals, Awakenings, Ice Heals..."
Oichi, Wigglytuff, and the Eeveelutions stepped out of the shop with several full bags of medicinal sprays. "A heavy stock won't do much good in a combat situation," the healer mused, "but if we face multiple attacks in succession, it'll be the quickest way to patch up."
Flareon gave an inquisitive cry.
"No, better save rations for another day," Oichi admitted. "We don't know if we'll be on the road or if it'll be a matter of point defense." She sighed. "The real problem is going to be our numbers. Maybe we should try and find Kiyomasa and the others, see if they're willing to join the effort."
Glaceon and Wigglytuff traded uncertain glances.
"Hey," Oichi protested, "they might be troublemakers, but they're worth a lot in a fight. It's thanks to them we survived Blacephalon territory during our time in Ultra Space. I'd rather have them on our side than have our army be... just..."
She trailed off as a sound caught her ears - music, played on a stringed instrument and sung. Curious, she started towards the source, finding a slight crowd gathered around the performer. It was a woman clad in what seemed to be a cloak woven from white feathers, though Oichi recognized the shape of armour worn beneath it; gauntlets covered the back of her hands, though it stopped at her knuckles to give her fingers the freedom to play the guitar in her hands. A mask lay over her face that looked like the visage of Flowing Life, complete with small, prismatic antlers holding her dark hair away from her face; it left her mouth exposed, baring the pale skin of her face. Standing at her side was a Hatterene, and Oichi could feel a Link between them as her cries harmonized with the performer's vocals.
"Benea~th a fie~ry sky~
Whe~re the rai~n runs dry~
Le~t my son~g be lifte~d
By~ the win~d on hi~gh"
As her performance halted, the gathered spectators started to clap; the woman set the guitar aside, her and her Pokémon bowing politely. As the crowd dispersed, Oichi elected to approach the woman, the Eeveelutions following suit.
The woman turned to her. "Oh, hello."
"Hello," Oichi returned. "It feels rare to see a performer in town, here. Though perhaps I'm just not out and about often enough."
"Perhaps it is a bit rare," the woman confessed. "But I found myself taken with shyness when I arrived in this kingdom, and thought a bit of music might give me confidence. It seems to have worked."
"May I ask your name?"
The woman's smile vanished. "Forgive me. I have sworn not to share my name until I return home. You may call me Driftwalker."
Oichi narrowed her gaze. "Sworn to whom?"
"To a trusted Warrior in my homeland," Driftwalker replied.
"Homeland?" Oichi echoed. "Then you're not from Ransei?"
Driftwalker seemed somewhat concerned. "I'm... sorry, is something wrong?"
"The Warlord of Aurora recently received a threatening missive," Oichi admitted. "We suspect that the sender is not a Ransean Warrior."
"I'm... sorry to hear that," Driftwalker pleaded. "I swear to you, I mean no harm to you or any other-"
Tremors.
Any confrontation that might have been stewing between the two Warriors fell apart when Aurora shook, throwing both of them off-balance. Murmurs began to spread throughout the town before a hellish sound emerged from nearby; a terrified Oichi turned in the direction of Aurora Castle, and saw a sinister, prismatic light shining heavenward around the structure.
"No-! Evia! Kaguya!"
She, Wigglytuff, and the Eeveelutions broke into a sprint, dashing towards the castle as the light grew brighter, until the rainbow hues had become rays of white. It was then that a sound like shattering crystal appeared, and tremors shook Aurora again as something rose heavenward, seeming to emerge from the light itself and consume the courtyard of the castle.
It was a crystal - a massive hexagonal pillar of pale white jewel. As it extended skyward, a crystalline surface stretched out across the ground around the castle. The crystal pillar halted at just too short to obscure the great horns of the Auroran emblem, but that was of small comfort when a second extended heavenward at another point around the castle. Three, four, five, six - some taller than others, but all far too great for a human to scale.
As the sixth pillar halted, a seventh emerged between them - and consumed what of Aurora Castle was still in view.
Oichi stood there, horrified at what she had seen... until someone grabbed her arm. As she turned to the source, she found a man pointing off into the distance, and horror struck her when she saw the same light appearing around Ignis Castle in the distance. The same crystal pillars emerged to consume it - these ones a deep fiery red - and a shocked Oichi looked in the direction of Greenleaf and then Fontaine to find the same lights shining there.
"No..." The familiar voice from nearby drew Oichi's attention; Driftwalker and Hatterene had followed her, and the masked Warrior now covered her mouth in shock as she beheld the castle. "No, not this..."
"You know what this is?!" Oichi demanded.
Driftwalker turned to her. "I... yes," she confirmed. "I've seen this before. These crystals claim the domain where they appear - and anyone occupying that space is cast out across the world."
"Across the world?!" Oichi exclaimed. "Is that how you-?! How are we supposed to-!?" Her gaze fell. "If this is happening all across Ransei...!"
A echoing sound cut her off; she turned to find a portion of the frontmost crystal was sublimating into the air, sparks of light flowing away and fading into nothing. Within was a hollow of darkness, forming a cave mouth as great as that of any natural cavern in Ransei - though the luminescence of the crystals made it seem much brighter. When the last sparks of light faded, a figure stepped out of the hollow - a Persian. The Classy Cat Pokémon closed its eyes, bringing its head around in a limber motion before stretching backwards with a loud cry.
Its eyes opened, and zeroed in on Oichi - and a sinister grin stretched across its face.
Oichi held her staff before her as the Persian charged in her direction; the gathered townspeople scattered in fear, and Wigglytuff quickly dashed forward to intercept the attacker. A vicious Slash came down on her, but the Balloon Pokémon took the blow and loosed a powerful Hyper Voice in retaliation, throwing the Persian back. A radiant Moonblast soared past Oichi and connected for a powerful follow-up, and she looked back to see Hatterene glaring at the Classy Cat Pokémon.
The Persian wasn't knocked out yet... and Oichi saw it assess its opponents before charging in Hatterene's direction. It wasn't expecting four more combatants to charge in out of nowhere; a Psybeam from Espeon halted it in mid-leap, and Flareon lunged forward and closed a Fire Fang on the Persian's tail, earning a pained yowl as he flung it back in the direction of the crystals. Glaceon and Sylveon dashed forward before it could recover, combining a biting Icy Wind and a brilliant Dazzling Gleam to knock it out.
"That was far too well-trained to be a wild Pokémon," Oichi observed. "But who trained it? And where the hell did it come from?"
Driftwalker stepped forward. "I think we'll have to save the questions for another time," she warned.
Oichi didn't realize what she meant until she saw it - a crystalline dust circling around the Persian, obscuring it from the world and then parting to reveal it was gone. After a moment, more Pokémon began to emerge from the hollow, and not all of species native to Ransei; a Snorlax was at the head, but it was accompanied by a Raticate, a Hypno, a Tentacruel, and a Muk.
Wigglytuff stepped to the fore, and the four Eeveelutions gathered around her in preparation - yet amidst their confidence that they could deal with these foes, there was the unspoken question of how many more there would be. Hatterene glanced at Driftwalker, who nodded; then the masked Warrior raised a hand to her mouth and whistled, a single piercing note that echoed through the town.
The Snorlax made to step forward... and a figure descended upon it, striking the Sleeping Pokémon with a burst of Fairy light and throwing it backwards into the hollow from which it had emerged.
The rest of the Pokémon present - both attacking and defending - were caught off-guard as the new arrival rose tall. Humanoid in white and green, Oichi initially thought it a Gardevoir or Gallade... but its body had a reflective, almost metallic sheen to it. It had a skirt hanging from its waist, similar to a Gardevoir's natural clothing, but it seemed more like a petal skirt, being segmented rather than pleated; the tip of each segment had a magenta stripe down its surface, spotted with white. From atop its head emerged a sharpened crest like a Gallade's helmet, and its 'hair' extended down and back in a pair of buns, each ending with the same dotted magenta surface; its forearms seemed broader than its upper arms, shaped like gauntlets, and a narrow magenta line extended down each.
In one hand was a double-bladed glaive of star-studded magenta, and it swept the weapon back with a piercing cry.
With a glare, the Snorlax stormed forward, leaping into the air to come down with a Body Slam; the blade-wielding Pokémon brought its weapon forward, seizing it in two hands to brace it against the Sleeping Pokémon's descending belly. Snapping out of her shock, Oichi directed Wigglytuff to lead the charge before the other four attackers could gang up on their new ally; the Fearow made to dive at the defender's flank with a Drill Peck, but Glaceon quickly intercepted the Beak Pokémon with a biting Icy Wind, striking it and the Raticate both.
The Muk tried to loose a Sludge Bomb, only to find Wigglytuff taking the shot, and Espeon quickly unleashed a Psybeam to drive the Sludge Pokémon back before it could react. The blade-wielder managed to force Snorlax away, leaping back for itself - and causing Hypno's Psychic to strike the air around it ineffectively. Sylveon took advantage, leaping forward for a Dazzling Gleam that threw the Hypnosis Pokémon away; Raticate tried to lunge as the blade-wielder before it could act after the close call, but Flareon intercepted its Hyper Fang and retaliated with a Fire Fang, knocking the Mouse Pokémon away.
The blade-wielder seized the handle of its glaive with both hands, splitting the blades apart and grasping one in each hand, and they illuminated with Fairy light before it lunged forward and slammed both blades into Snorlax's belly, causing it to tumble backwards. Wigglytuff quickly leapt into the center of the gathered attackers, and a screeching Hyper Voice was enough to finish them all off.
That crystalline dust swirled around all of them, and when it scattered, they were gone - just as the Persian had been.
The blade-wielding Pokémon stood tall, holding its weapons at its side as the Eeveelutions and Wigglytuff all turned to the hollow. After a moment, Espeon turned away with a cry, and the group relaxed; the attack had ended.
"Six trained Pokémon on the attack," Oichi observed. "There's no way that's a coincidence."
"You have good instincts," Driftwalker praised.
Oichi turned to her. "You said you've encountered these crystals before?"
Driftwalker nodded. "Yes. When I was young, one of these cast me out of my home. When I found my way back, there were attacks going on such as this." She turned her gaze forward. "I eventually learned there were men responsible, but I didn't have the luxury of making sure they could never repeat their course."
"I'm not sure I blame you," Oichi confessed. "So, they follow Warrior convention, then?"
"In numbers, perhaps," Driftwalker admitted, "but not in frequency. We won't have the month of courtesy before their next assault. A week at most; perhaps even tomorrow. And such attacks will be happening at every point these crystals have appeared."
With a curse, Oichi turned back to the crystal's hollow. "We'd have to retaliate and stop them at the source... but how? We don't even have enough Warriors for a full-on battle..."
"Sounds to me like someone's gotta start recruiting again," called a voice from behind them.
Oichi turned in surprise, finding a familiar figure approaching with a wildly spiky head of blonde hair. "Keiji!"
"Been a while, Oichi," the wanderer greeted; he had a Bastiodon following behind him and a familiar bag in one hand. The other was holding a polearm over his shoulder - one end had a sasumata arc of a blade, while the other had a spiked weight like a club. "Seems like I picked the exact right time to swing by this end of Ransei." He held out the bag. "Kanbei sent me with this - said you left it with him after your bout with the Time Traveller."
"Bout with the-?" Oichi stepped forward and accepted the bag from him, opening it up. "Com-crystals! That's right," she realized, "I gave him half of my stash when we split up after the Barrens."
"You need more Warriors to deal with this, right?" Keiji observed. "Leave defending Aurora to me; you'd better go find some allies. Something tells me your new friend having some unfamiliar company doesn't exactly make her an army of one."
He turned to Driftwalker meaningfully; the masked Warrior nodded her head. "Indeed," she confirmed. "However strange my partners might seem, I assure you they are nowhere near strong enough to face these foes single-handedly."
Keiji shook his head. "The one's not strange so much as just foreign," he admitted, beckoning to Hatterene with his weapon. "But the other..."
Oichi turned to find the blade-wielding Pokémon approaching them. Now that she could see it from the front, her suspicions appeared to be confirmed; it didn't seem to be armoured so much as constructed, with mechanical-looking joints at its knees, hips, and shoulders. Each segment of its petal skirt seemed to be connected separately to its pelvis, and its blades were now mounted on its arms over the lines she had seen prior; its midsection was a dark, metallic shape, giving the illusion of its white chest being an armoured breastplate. Its eyes were voids of black, with dots of pink light forming irises upon them.
"I won't deny that," Driftwalker confessed. "This is Valiant - Iron Valiant. I met him in another region, in which he arrived by circumstances most unnatural. And as much as that might suggest a Pokémon of great power, he is not so extraordinary as all that."
"You say he's not extraordinary," Keiji accused, "but there doesn't seem to be much about him that's ordinary, either. How exactly is one supposed fight alongside a Pokémon that's so-"
"Fighting/Fairy-type." Oichi's remark drew the wanderer's attention; her gaze was on Iron Valiant, her eyes swirling with a deep draconic purple. "Potent musculature and a powerful magical offensive, uses them in tandem. Blades connected but not integrated, can be used as-is or brandished as a separate weapon. A bit lacking in defensive strength, but that can be solved with action." She turned to Driftwalker. "All in all, I wouldn't call him much stronger than a Gardevoir or Gallade."
"...unknown," Keiji trailed off.
Driftwalker smiled. "Please, let me come with you," she requested. "I would help you gather the allies you need."
Keiji nodded. "I say you let her go for it," he seconded. "I'll keep Aurora safe while you're gone."
Oichi turned to him as her eyes returned to green. "Are you sure? One Warrior-"
Glaceon's cry drew their attention to find the Eeveelutions looked like they were on Keiji's side.
"...You guys are always left on defense," Oichi sighed. "I'm sorry."
Sylveon shook her head, assuring the healer that they held nothing against her.
"Alright." Oichi reached into her bag, drawing out a com-crystal bracelet and earpiece and handing them to Keiji. "Here. Wear these at all times. If anything comes up, speak into the crystal in the bracelet; anyone else wearing one will be able to hear you. I'll make sure I'm on that list."
"Can do," Keiji insisted. "You take care of yourself, now, you hear?"
"I will."
Draco: Aiya... I've made a lot of work for myself, and I don't want to do it. Pokémon attacking from the invasion will not be given full details, only moves shown in-chapter; I am only going to give a whole gameplay summary for major combatants (and evolutionary relatives of major combatants) that the Warriors are involved with.
Hattena
-Range: 3
-Move: Confusion
-Ability: Healer | Dodge | Share
Evolution to Hattrem - increase Attack
Hattrem
-Range: 3
-Move: Psybeam
-Ability: Healer | Dodge | Share
Evolution to Hatterene - increase Attack
Hatterene
-Range: 3
-Move: Moonblast
-Ability: Healer | Dodge | Confidence
Iron Valiant
-Range: 3
-Move: Spirit Break
-Ability: Conductivity | Parry
Moonblast (Fairy)
-Attack area: single tile one square away (i.e. Aura Sphere)
-Effect: May cause 1-stage Attack reduction
Spirit Break (Fairy)
-Attack area: single tile in front
-Effect: 1-stage Attack reduction
Conductivity
-Increases the damage of attacks when the Pokémon is standing in electricity
...Considering that Groudon is a Ground-type and is permitted to stand in magma while other Ground-types are not, I feel comfortable saying that all futuristic Paradox Pokémon would be permitted to stand in electricity regardless of their typing.