Draco: I mean, if I'm going to include that little caveat, I might as well make it an actual plot point instead of just using it for my tricky workaround, right?

Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.

Ultra Kingdom - Rainbow Road: Of Bonds and Feelings

"Combining the Fire-type castle with the Water-type castle? This must be deliberate."

Aya's remark had Yukimura crossing his arms as the sight of the fused Ignis/Fontaine castle. "The question isn't whether, but why," he observed. "Is it just for the arbitrary contrast, or do Fire and Water have some meaning for whoever is in charge of this domain?"

Kanetsugu narrowed his gaze. "Does anyone else hear... music?"

"Music?" Kenshin echoed, turning round. "I don't-"

"No, I hear it, too," Kunoichi confirmed. "Like... an organ?"

Shingen reached for the sides of his head. "Your ears must be better than mine," he admitted.

Kunoichi gave him a look. "That's not a very high bar, Lord Shingen. Your ears have been hearing rocks blow up since you became Warlord of Terrera."

The Warlord of Terrera laughed. "Good point," he conceded, "very good point." He turned around. "But come. I dare say our organist is a member of Team Rainbow Rocket. If we follow the music, we should find our opponents."

He and Kenshin pushed open what had once been the doors of Ignis Castle; the hallway was much larger than either the halls of Ignis or Fontaine, giving the larger of their legion's Pokémon easy access to march inside. As they marched, the music became more audible; Kunoichi, being able to hear it most clearly, elected to lead the group, and they soon arrived at the gate to Fontaine Castle's battlefield. Several uniformed Trainers were standing there, three men and two women, and as they got near, one woman got to her feet. "The Warriors of Ransei, I take it?"

"Indeed," Kenshin confirmed. "I trust we have the right place?"

"Yeah," the woman assured them, "this is the place. Sorry we weren't there to show you in. The old guy plays when he's bored, and... I mean, he plays really well."

"He does, at that," Kenshin admitted; the music being performed was indeed exceptional. "But I'm afraid we must interrupt his performance."

He made to approach the doors, and the woman stopped him before he could step in. "Hold on," she warned as the others stood up as well. "Six Warriors, six Pokémon. No more."

"We understand the terms," Shingen assured her.

With that confirmed, the Trainers pushed the doors open and filed inside, prompting the Warriors to do the same.

The battlefield was divided into six lanes, almost, with alternating rivers of lava and water separating them from one another. The Trainers notably spread out amongst five of those lanes before advancing to the other end, which was slightly raised into tiers; the organ was mounted on the highest tier, a towering thing with what looked like electrical coils mounted at its peak, and energy danced between them with every note that was played. Surrounding the organ were three statues that the Warriors quickly recognized as the Thunder Beast, the Volcano Beast, and the Northwind Beast.

The organist was a grey-haired man in a consuming coat of purple, with prominent tasselled epaulettes of pale green; it hung low enough to obscure his knees, and his trousers matched his coat, themselves covering most of a pair of pristine white boots.

After arriving at his end of the lanes, the uniformed Trainers noticeably hesitated before the woman who had spoken to the Warriors decided to approach. "Sir. The Warriors are here."

The man slowed his music to a stop. "So they are." He turned around, revealing features weathered with age. "Greetings, men and women of Ransei. I am Gordor."

"Hello to you, Gordor," Shingen mused. "Might I suppose that you, too, come from a world different from our own?"

Gordor folded his hands behind his back. "Just so," he confirmed. "The leader of Team RR asked for my assistance in opposing you. I must admit that my curiosity was piqued to hear him speak of Warriors and the power they wield." Then, glancing at the uniformed Trainers; "Though I suppose it is no stranger than seeing a Pokémon Trainer in person."

Kenshin narrowed his gaze. "You mean to say that you are not a Trainer yourself?"

"Indeed I am not," Gordor admitted. "Not only am I not a Trainer, I do not come from a region where Trainers are common. In my home region of Fiore, Pokémon are not caught in Poké Balls, but befriended by those who seek them for companionship. Those who need wield their powers for protection, whether of people or of nature, are known as Pokémon Rangers."

"Rangers?" Yukimura echoed. "And how do these Rangers enlist such help?"

"By use of a device known as a Capture Styler," Gordor replied. "I shall spare you the more technical aspects of its operation, but a Ranger, possessed of the 'spirit of justice', uses a Styler to convey their emotions to the target Pokémon. Feelings of calm can thereby quell a Pokémon's aggression; a sense of freedom can thereby free a Pokémon under unwilling control; the desire for cooperation thereby inclines a Pokémon to assist. Thus is a Pokémon considered 'captured', and the Styler can then be used to direct the Pokémon for the Ranger's purposes."

Kanetsugu stepped forward. "Hold on," he demanded. "The process you described... That sounds very similar to-!"

A smile rose on Gordor's face. "To a Link," he admitted, "the power to forge which earns a person the title of 'Warrior' in Ransei. I see you came to the same conclusion." He set a hand on his chin. "When the leader of Team RR told me that he sought to oppose Warriors, and explained what the title meant, I found myself fascinated. Yet I cannot help but wonder what makes a Warrior's Link different from the 'spirit of justice' that is channeled by a Capture Styler."

He shook his head. "He directed me to fight the Warriors that would come here, under Ransean terms. No more than six humans and six Pokémon to a side; battle between the humans as well as the Pokémon, but decided exclusively by the latter. If a Pokémon should fall in battle, then their Warrior should cease to contribute. If you should be victorious, I am to withdraw from the castle as the defeated party, whereupon the leader of Team RR has promised to send me back to my own world, with the bounty of what I have learned in opposing you."

He narrowed his gaze. "And yet, he made no claim that each human combatant must be directly connected with one of the Pokémon. Nor that anything prohibited the trading of blows between human and Pokémon."

Kunoichi narrowed her gaze. "What are you saying?"

"Only that I stand to gain from this battle," Gordor proclaimed, "regardless of whether I should win or lose." Then, turning to the uniformed Trainer directly at his left; "You, grunt - you will withhold yours."

He turned back to his organ and set a finger on one key, holding a long note, and the energy began to dance at the top of the organ once again. The note hadn't ended before he begun a second, and something changed in the statues that surrounded the organ; four of the Trainers sent out their Pokémon at the end of each of one of the legs, deploying a Camerupt, Slaking, Scizor, and Tyranitar. A third note and then a fourth joined in as the Trainers all drew weapons - one woman with a hammer, one man with a pair of tonfa, a second man with a sickle, the third with a claymore, and the woman who had not sent out a Pokémon brandished a rapier. A fifth note was played, and then a sixth; the Warriors abruptly realized that two of the Pokémon statues had been filled with colour... and then that they weren't statues.

They were petrified Pokémon - and Gordor's organ had somehow awakened them.

One chord, and then another; the Thunder Beast leapt onto the battlefield before one of the empty lanes, howling as voltage gathered upon its mane.

One chord, and then another; the Northwind Beast followed suit and occupied the last of the lanes, roaring as a biting gale blew from behind its tails.

Gordor flipped a switch on his organ, and additional instrumentation began to play as Shingen thrust his fan forward, directing the Pokémon to march. Groudon and Mewtwo set up on the center two lanes before Raikou and Suicune; Yukimura and Charizard lined up with the Scizor on the far left, while Aya and Froslasss lined up with Slaking on the far right; Kanetsugu and Alakazam prepared to engage Camerupt on the near left, and Kunoichi and Weavile took their chances with Tyranitar on the near right.

As the organ began to play again, Team Rainbow Rocket's Pokémon began to charge; Shingen and Kenshin drew out their Key Stones, and the Illusian touched the surface of his while the Terreran brandished the Red Orb over his head. Crimson light crystallized in a sphere around Groudon while prismatic light encompassed Mewtwo; then both shattered, revealing Mewtwo's body had condensed upon itself and Groudon's was now covered in flows of magma.

Raikou seemed to understand full well that it was at a disadvantage, turning across the lane of magma and sending a Thunderbolt down on Weavile as Kunoichi wove around the swings of a claymore. Tyranitar made to follow through with a Stone Edge, but Weavile was ready for this one, leaping clear over the rocky blades as they emerged and then coming down on the Armour Pokémon with a Night Slash. Mewtwo took aim at Suicune as it turned towards Groudon, firing a Hydro Pump clear over the lane-dividing magma; it narrowly missed the Desolation as he turned and unleashed a vicious Earth Power over the water to slam into Tyranitar.

Another Night Slash was enough to finish the Rock-type off; Kunoichi knocked the claymore out of the Trainer's hands and then kicked him into the water before shooting Shingen a smile. She and Weavile made to charge at Gordor, but the enemy of Rangers seemed to notice her coming; his foot moved to a pedal at the base of the organ, and rather than change the notes he was playing, a surge of energy soared down from the peak of the organ, slamming into the ninja and the Sharp Claw Pokémon both and leaving them tumbling back.

The hell?! Kunoichi raised her gaze in shock as she managed to right herself. You mean that thing is his weapon!?

Changing tack, she and Weavile elected to go back up Aya and Froslass; Slaking's Mega Punches weren't doing much in the way of damage against a Ghost-type, but actually knocking it out was an exercise in frustration, and the tonfa-bearer's faring against Aya was a separate matter. On the other side of the battlefield, Charizard's second Flamethrower was enough to knock out Scizor (who had mostly survived the first thanks to his Trainer's medicines); Yukimura quickly hooked his cross-tipped spear on the man's sickle and wrenched it out of his grip, letting it tumble into the lava dividing their lane from Camerupt's.

The Trainer promptly dashed for the nearest door as Charizard turned around, stepping through the magma and unleashing a Flamethrower at the Euption Pokémon. Camerupt made to turn around, only for Alakazam's Psychic to rip up around him again; she turned and loosed a furious Lava Plume, and the Psi Pokémon wasn't quite fast enough to move away before the fires seared on him. The hammer-bearer was getting very frustrated as she kept trying to swing at Kanetsugu and found her hammer halting a few inches away from the Illusian with every attempt, stopped by his telekinesis - and moreso when it happened while he reached a hand towards his brow, rejuvenating Alakazam with his power.

With an angry yell, the Trainer hurled the hammer at Yukimura instead; the Terreran intercepted the coming weapon with a well-aimed swing of his spear, halting its momentum without taking too much of the impact and letting it fall into the magma. Another Flamethrower-Psychic combo was enough to knock out Camerupt, and the Trainer gave a furious screech before withdrawing her Pokémon and charging away; across the battlefield, Weavile and Froslass had managed to beat down Slaking, prompting his Trainer to retreat from between Kunoichi and Aya.

The junior Warlords all turned their attentions towards the center of the battlefield; Raikou had already been knocked out, though the rapier-wielder was keeping Shingen busy as Groudon and Mewtwo ganged up on Suicune. The Northwind Beast was proving adept at evading their direct blows, and even landed a vicious Hydro Pump or two, but soon enough a blast of Future Sight from Mewtwo threw it off-guard enough for the two Legendary Pokémon to finish Suicune off with a Psystrike and Earth Power.

The last Trainer was shocked at the sight - which gave Shingen the opportunity to knock her rapier out of her hands. It soared towards Gordor's organ and slammed into one of the coils at the top, causing a discordant screech to echo out of the device and bring the music to a halt; Gordor pulled his hands away with a growl, though the machine mercifully failed to react further as the rapier bounced to the ground.

Breathing a low sigh, Gordor turned around to find the Warriors approaching him, and the last of the uniformed Trainers retreating out the doors of the battlefield. "Well," he mused, "so much for my theory."

"What theory?" Kenshin demanded.

"As I mentioned," Gordor proclaimed, "a Styler's energies can be used to incite freedom in a controlled Pokémon. But the acting Ranger must deliberately seek to inspire such freedom. And, as a consequence, even a Pokémon already captured can thereby be controlled if specifically targeted by a means to do so. Such, at least, was my theory - a theory I hoped to test by turning my Power Styler upon your Pokémon, who are bonded to you by the seemingly similar effects of a Link."

Kanetsugu glared. "What Styler? At no point in this battle did you attempt to use anything but that..." His eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you would imply...?"

Gordor grinned. "Ah, so you can put it together," he observed. "Yes. This machine is the ultimate Power Styler that I constructed in the Fiore. It bypasses the 'spirit of justice' required for the use of a common Capture Styler, and the need for the user to control their emotions. The instant I play any melody on this styler, its vibrations take over the free will of any Pokémon, which thereby becomes my slave to do my bidding."

"You bastard," Yukimura growled. "Then how the hell does it have anything to do with the Capture Styler as you described them, let alone a Link?"

"Because it serves the same purpose!" Gordor proclaimed. "To use Pokémon for one's own ends, taking them from the wild and directing them to use their power! How is that any different from what you Warriors do when you forge a Link!?"

"You are ignorant indeed if you think there to be any similarity," Aya scolded. "A Warrior does not force a Pokémon to obey them. We do not enslave our partners. We communicate with them, reach out to them, and invite them to be our companions - not our servants!"

Gordor shook his head. "Then I fail to see how any Warrior is deserving of being called a warlord," he scorned. "If you would not bring the world to heel, then you are not waging war!"

He reached back and slammed his hand to the keys, and another chord echoed out of the Styler to confirm its function was not inhibited. "And you will forever be inferior to those who will!"

A blazing howl emerged from behind the Styler, and they all realized there was still one Pokémon left; the Warriors and their partners leapt aside as the Volcano Beast leapt over the organ, landing before them with maw ablaze. Gordor turned back to his Styler to resume playing; Yukimura, Aya, and Kenshin all hurled their spears forward, but Gordor's feet found the pedals, and bolts of energy soared from the peak of the machine to intercept them each, throwing them aside. As Mewtwo and Groudon made to face off with Entei, Kanetsugu directed his ofuda forward - and though Gordor's machine intercepted them as well, he noticed that a separate bolt struck each - and the fifth got noticeably nearer to the Styler than the first did.

Kunoichi made the same realization; the ninja lashed out, whirling into a spin with her daggers hooked on her belt, and a storm of kunai, shuriken, and push-knives whirled out from her, flying forward in a hellish bombardment that she only continued after the first motion. Gordor's feet found the pedals, but for every projectile that was struck out of the air, three more were already flying, gaining an inch with every bolt. Blade after blade impaled itself in Gordor's Styler, every connection taking the notes further and further away from harmony, and Entei began to writhe on the battlefield as the orders he was receiving became muddled.

When the Styler much resembled a pincushion, Kanetsugu reached his hand forward, seizing every weapon with his telekinesis and then forcing them further into the machine to tear at its innards.

The energy flowing from its coils began to course through the entire body of the organ with a discordant screech; Entei gave a pained roar, and Groudon finished it off with a row of Precipice Blades as Gordor stepped back in terror. Shingen grabbed him by the back of the collar and hurled him away from the device, leaving him landing in the corner of the battlefield as the Warriors scattered down the lanes.

The Power Styler exploded, sending fragments and weaponry flying in all directions and leaving a smoking heap where it had been standing.

Gordor tried to force himself to his feet - but something slammed into shoulder, and he glanced down to find a dart of some kind had pierced through his clothes. Shocked, he looked up to find Kunoichi stepping forward, a disdainful look on her face.

"Cocky theory you've got there," she mused. "Shame about all the evidence to the contrary."

The man had no opportunity to retort before he slumped to the ground, unconscious from the sedative he'd been impaled with.

Kenshin reclaimed his spear. "What shall we do with him?"

Shingen propped his war fan over his shoulder. "After what Nobunaga said about that Ghetsis fellow, I imagine Gracia's already got her sun and moon on standby. We can send him back for the Rangers to deal with."

Draco: I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't imagine Gordor was playing Dancing Mad in this chapter. Not only is there a clear separation between the third and fourth movements when played as a piece rather than as a battle music, but the fourth movement was literally designed to have a boss descend on the battlefield as it begins. Here's the gameplay information for the beasts of Johto.

Raikou
-Range: 3
-Move: Thunderbolt
-Ability: Sequence

Entei
-Range: 3
-Move: Fire Fang
-Ability: Warm Blanket

Suicune
-Range: 3
-Move: Hydro Pump
-Ability: Wave Rider