Draco: First time my Ransei plot has actually changed direction in the middle of things. This isn't a climax, yet, there's still another fifteen chapters to go.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Ultra Kingdom: The Forsaken and the Radiant
"Morning, Lady Evia."
Driftwalker's words welcomed the Auroran as she approached the camp outside the Tera Crystal's hollow. "Good morning," Evia returned. "Any attackers?"
"None overnight," Driftwalker confirmed. "Seems today's attackers won't be showing up until you leave."
Evia sighed. "Now that you've said that," she argued, "they're gonna show up when it's just you and me awake."
The masked Warrior glanced at Evia's accompaniment - Glaceon, Sylveon, Espeon, Flareon, and now Vaporeon and Jolteon. "I dare say you could handle the entire assault yourself, in that case," she mused.
"Maybe," Evia conceded.
She took a seat for herself, and the Eeveelutions sat down around her.
"...I remembered something last night," Driftwalker mused. "Something you should know before we advance."
Evia turned to her. "Oichi mentioned that your last encounter with those responsible was long ago," she recalled. "Long enough that you don't remember things clearly. Is that why you didn't bring this up during the war council?"
"It is," Driftwalker admitted. "Forgive me."
"So long as you're not keeping it secret deliberately, you're forgiven," Evia assured her. "Go on."
Driftwalker turned her gaze to the hollow. "The men and women that await us on the other side of that gate... are not Warriors. Not as we define the term. Warriors possess a distinct power that allows us to forge a Link - to understand Pokémon, to connect and synchronize with them. And as we develop that power, we gain the ability to influence the course of battle, such as empathy allowing a Warrior to heal their army's Pokémon, or determination allowing them to accelerate their partner." She drew her collapsible spear off of her back, holding it before her. "It is because of this power that we take up arms and fight alongside our Pokémon - putting ourselves at risk on the battlefield, just as they do, even if it is the Pokémon that decide the battle."
She activated the spear, the shaft elongating in her grip and the blade extending from one end.
"Our enemies do not possess that power. They wish to take Ransei for their own, and their enemies are us - Warriors. It is for that reason that they take up arms, and they are ready to fight on the field, to cross blows with us. But they have not forged Links with their Pokémon. They have caught their Pokémon - or else stolen them from those who did - and bonded with them in their own way."
Evia's eyes widened. "You mean...?"
"Pokémon Trainers," Driftwalker confirmed. "Just as there have been Warriors who bring harm to those around them for their own benefit, or their own desires, so too are there Trainers who do disgrace to the name."
She lowered her spear. "That they do not have a Link means they cannot influence battle as we do. They carry items they can use to benefit their Pokémon, but they don't have any inherent power to do so. But at the same time, the lack of a Link means they do not feel what their Pokémon feel - which means how their Pokémon fare in battle against ours will have no effect on how they fare against us."
"...In Ransei, it's the Pokémon that decide the battle," Evia observed. "If a Warrior tries to keep fighting after their Link partner is knocked out, they usually find their opponent's Pokémon turning its attention on them."
"In that, at least, I think our opponents will respect the terms of battle," Driftwalker assured her. "Trainers understand as well as Warriors that humans and Pokémon are on entirely different spectrums of strength."
+x+x+x+
As Driftwalker had predicted, no Pokémon emerged from the Tera Crystal to attack Aurora before the army of Warlords had arrived.
Yoshimoto, to much surprise, was at the head of the first legion, with Ieyasu, Tadakatsu, Ina, Ujiyasu, and Kai following; Forretress, Aggron, Metagross, Empoleon, Gigalith, Darmanitan, Registeel, Dialga, and Regirock gave them plenty of defensive prowess for the battles to come.
Hideyoshi was leading the second legion, with Nene at his side, Hanbei and Kanbei close behind, and Mitsuhide and Gracia bringing up the rear; Infernape, Raichu, Chandelure, Crobat, Lapras, Gothitelle, Reshiram, Phione, and Articuno ensured they had a variety of types.
Shingen and Kenshin were sharing command of the third legion, with Yukimura, Aya-gozen, Kunoichi, and Kanetsugu loyally following; Rhyperior, Gallade, Charizard, Froslass, Weavile, Alakazam, Groudon, and Mewtwo put them squarely on the offensive.
Masamune was in charge of the fourth legion, with Magoichi, Motochika, Motonari, Ginchiyo, and Muneshige all towering over him; Braviary, Sceptile, Samurott, Serperior, Luxray, Staraptor, Lugia, Keldeo, Celebi, and Zapdos were all set to give them plenty of options for the approach.
Nobunaga had taken command of the fifth legion, consisting of Ranmaru, Nō, Okuni, Mitsuki, and a surprising Hanzō (who seemed to be there at Mitsuki's request); Hydreigon, Lucario, Mismagius, Volcarona, Salamence, Gengar, Zekrom, Rayquaza, and Giratina were all set to overwhelm any opponents.
Evia was heading the last legion, with Oichi and Kaguya at her sides, Yoshihiro at the ready, and Kotarō reclining in the shadows; the Eeveelutions were all ready to alternate as needed, Wigglytuff, Gardevoir, Conkeldurr, Zoroark, Cobalion, and Darkrai were set to fill in any gaps, and the Alpha's Link was burning on Evia's palm.
Keiji had taken a seat with the defense legion, alongside Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, Masanori, Nobuyuki, and Driftwalker; Bastiodon, Bisharp, Haxorus, Krookodile, Emboar, Hatterene, Iron Valiant, and Terrakion were determined to strike down any Pokémon that dared to try and invade while the army was gone.
"Alright," Evia proclaimed. "Here's the plan. We go in at one-hour intervals. My legion will take the vanguard; then Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, Masamune, Yoshimoto, and Shingen and Kenshin bring up the rear. Driftwalker," she added, turning to the masked Warrior, "I'll try to ping you on the com-crystals as soon as we get in, just to see if they work. If not, then I'll send someone to pick you up in person once we've scouted out the area. Keiji," she added, turning to the wanderer, "there are Warriors watching the other kingdoms just to be safe. If anyone reports that the obstructions at the other Tera Crystals have been cleared, do not hesitate to send someone in to let us know."
"Yes, Lady Evia!" the army chorused.
"Okay." Evia turned to face the hollow. "In we go."
She, Oichi, and Kaguya started to march forward; the Eeveelutions, Wigglytuff, and Gardevoir kept a close formation behind them, and Yoshihiro, Kotarō, Conkeldurr, and Zoroark swiftly followed them in.
Cynthia's statement about a pocket dimension inside the Tera Crystals seemed to ring true; it became apparent after a few paces that the interior was many times larger than even the huge crystalline mass that had consumed Aurora Castle. Soon, the tunnel through which they entered opened up into a massive pale cavern, large enough to host at least five huge Pokémon; though light from outside didn't permeate through the crystal, they nonetheless had plenty of illumination to see by.
In the center of the cavern was a raised platform, large enough to host any Pokémon in Ransei... and in the air above that platform was an Ultra Wormhole.
"It is Ultra Space, then," Oichi observed.
Kotarō turned to Yoshihiro. "You're not easily motion sick, are you?"
"I've not been in a situation to find out," Yoshihiro admitted.
Kaguya seemed to shy away, drawing Evia's attention. "Are you alright?"
"...Yeah," Kaguya insisted. "I'm not gonna back down!"
"Okay," Evia assured her. "Oichi, you've got the most experience, here. Would you care to take the lead?"
"Of course," Oichi assured her. "Come on, Wigglytuff."
The Balloon Pokémon gave a cry of agreement, and the two of them leapt into the Wormhole.
+x+x+x+
The experience was as trippy as she remembered - myriad colours flying past her as she tumbled in a void, nothing to support her as she built momentum. Soon, she found herself emerging on the other side, landing with a stumble on a dirt surface. As she drove her staff into the ground to steady herself, she realized that that dirt was surrounded by familiar walls, and Oichi raised her gaze to find that she was standing in a familiar battlefield, under an unfamiliar sky.
"This is..." Oichi raised her gaze in shock, finding the attached building was indeed what she thought it was. "...Aurora Castle?"
Wigglytuff pushed her aside - the Ultra Wormhole was still open behind her, and as she made room Kaguya and Gardevoir emerged. Oichi quickly grabbed her daughter's hand, pulling her close before she could be baffled by the sight; Evia and the Eeveelutions were next, and the Auroran Warlord was as shocked as Oichi was to see what was waiting for them (prompting Sylveon to pull her aside as well). Yoshihiro and Conkeldurr were not, thankfully, motion sick when they emerged (though Cobalion looked like he might be another story); as they stepped aside, Kotarō landed by driving his claws into the ground, letting Zoroark and Darkrai land at his sides.
"Ha..." The Yakshan pulled his weapon free and looked up at the castle. "Not destroyed, then," he mused, "but simply displaced."
"So it would seem," Evia admitted, looking around. Aurora Castle seemed to be floating in nothing, though a much more vibrant nothing than Distortion; aurorae of various colours danced in the sky in every direction, with stars visible betwixt and between, and stone shards were scattered throughout. There seemed to be some kind of prismatic plane extending from the attacker's end of the battlefield... but she didn't dare to try her luck, instead turning back to the castle. "Let's head inside. The men responsible might be operating from this place."
She stepped up to the double door leading inside, pushing one open... and promptly found herself at spearpoint.
Her hand was halfway up to her sword before she realized who it was that was holding the spear - or rather, the jousting lance - that was pointed at her. A man in a white coat that seemed to be worn over a suit of silvery armour, with pauldrons and gauntlets mounted over it; a pair of sturdy greaves and sabatons were similarly worn over a pair of black trousers, and a crimson cape was hanging over his back, behind which was a small, rectangular case of some description.
A helmet in black and silver rested over his head - bearing an emblem that looked like someone had tried to give a stylized sun the arc of a crescent moon.
"You're...?!"
Oichi started. "Nagamasa?!"
The Warrior started, lowering his weapon. "Oichi? Evia?"
A cry from behind him heralded someone pushing the door open - a quadrupedal Pokémon in black with a shining white mane, an aquatic tail, and metallic, clawed forelimbs.
"Full!" Evia greeted. "Wh-What are you two doing here?"
"I could ask you much the same thing."
Evia started. "Wait, did you just... Did I just...?"
A smile rose on Nagamasa's face. "Hear my words in your own tongue? And I hear yours in mine." He drew something out in his left hand - it seemed to be a small device of some sort. "This was left behind by the men and women who seem to be responsible. Seems they accounted for the possibility of a language barrier, and took steps to ensure it did not hinder their efforts."
"You've encountered them, then?" Yoshihiro observed.
"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Being as the castle is yours at present," he observed, "I suppose we are at the mercy of your hospitality."
"Nonsense," Nagamasa protested. "I saw the emblem on the roof." He turned to Evia. "We might be defending it, but this is your home."
Evia smiled. "Much appreciated."
+x+x+x+
Cobalion and Darkrai elected to stay in the battlefield to direct the others while the Warriors and their usual companions followed Nagamasa inside.
Nagamasa and Type: Full hadn't come alone; the Warriors under his command were present, as well, accompanied by Obstagoon, Perrserker, Cursola, Sirfetch'd, Mr. Rime, and Runerigus.
"How long have you all been here?" Oichi inquired.
"It's hard to be sure, without day and night to track by," Nagamasa admitted. "But I believe a few weeks have passed."
"More or less since the Tera Crystals appeared, then," Evia mused. "Something terrible happened in Ransei - giant crystals appeared at the site of every castle, casting out anyone who was present into another region."
Nagamasa nodded. "That lines up with what she told us, then."
Evia started. "She?"
"In the otherworld kingdom where we resided," Nagamasa explained, "a woman appeared to warn us of a great danger - something that threatened the region of Warriors called Ransei. She was seeking allies of the Heroine Evia."
"Why do people keep calling me that," Evia muttered.
Oichi slapped her arm. "Don't act like you don't deserve it."
A smile played on Nagamasa's lips, though it fell in short order. "She asked that we lend our strength to your cause; that we defend this place, so that you might have a place you can arrive at safely. No sooner had we arrived here than we were beset by an army of attackers - men and women in uniform."
"The Trainers that Driftwalker mentioned," Evia recalled. "Wait, how did you get here from the kingdom where you were?"
"The woman took us to the battlefield of beasts," Nagamasa replied, "and brought us before the Blinding One. I would swear she had forged a Link."
Oichi started. "With Necrozma?"
"Crescent Calm," Kotarō exclaimed. "Who was this woman who could Link with that radiant dragon?"
"I can't be sure that she gave us her name," Nagamasa admitted. "What with the difference in language, until we arrived here. She wore a dark mask, and was Linked to two other Dragons. One was a Noivern; the other seemed to be a Salamence, save for its great crescent wings."
"Crescent wings..." Oichi started. "Coursebreaker!"
Evia turned to her. "Who?"
"Driftwalker mentioned her," Oichi explained. "An ally of hers. Kanetsugu said he saw a Pokémon with crescent wings flying near Illusio Castle when the Tera Crystal appeared, and Driftwalker seemed to think it was her." Her gaze fell. "Wait, then it wasn't just displacement to other regions...!"
"I... don't believe she came to us directly from the disaster," Nagamasa admitted. "She seemed to be seeking out allies, specifically."
"Then how did she reach you?" Evia wondered.
"Oh, that's simple," Kotarō insisted. "Her Link with Necrozma must have been preexisting when she was displaced."
Nagamasa turned to him. "Pardon?"
Yoshihiro chuckled. "Legendary Pokémon are fickle Link partners," he observed. "But in times of crisis, they seem to be ready and willing to lend their aid at a moment's notice."
Evia hummed. "Where did Coursebreaker go?"
"She said she would try and scout out our foes from dragonback," Nagamasa replied. "That... was shortly after we arrived."
Oichi's gaze fell. "Maybe... let's not mention her to Driftwalker, then."
+x+x+x+
Nobunaga's legion arrived while they were searching the castle for anything out of place. Everything seemed to be more or less as Evia had left it - to a surprising degree, considering the tremors that had preceded the Tera Crystal's appearance. "I would swear there is someone keeping this castle tidy," admitted one of Nagamasa's Warriors, "but we never seem to find anyone at work."
"The attendants to Aurora Castle have always been of the mind that a servant's work should be seen and the servant should not," Evia recalled. "Which means... someone did get dragged here with the castle. Why did the Warriors get displaced, and the non-Warriors get pulled along?"
"Perhaps it is the very power of a Link," the Warrior suggested. "With the ability to forge a Link sometimes comes the possibility of transformation - to draw power from the world and become stronger. It may be that such a connection anchored you to your own world."
"Such a connection didn't stop be from being dragged into Ultra Space last time," Evia argued.
"Last time it was merely gates to the beasts' worlds, was it not?" the Warrior observed. "And it was only isolated individuals and Pokémon who were taken away. Yet this time you speak of crystals, and your entire castle has come here. It is a different phenomenon, and perhaps that accounts for the different effect on you and yours."
The Mega Stone sitting over the mantel caught Ranmaru's attention; Oichi quickly located her book from Kalos and identified it as 'Gardevoirite', to Kaguya's surprise. An approving Ranmaru elected to entrust his Key Stone to Kaguya, that she might try and wield the Mega Evolution in the battles to come.
It was almost time for the next legion to arrive when something happened during the search of the top floor. Mitsuki, Salamence, Kaguya, and Gardevoir had arrived in an outside room, and were about to rejoin the rest of the group when Salamence's demeanour changed; the Dragon-type gave a fearful growl, pulling away from the window in a fright.
"Hey, what's up?" Mitsuki asked. "Something wrong?"
Salamence shrunk back against the opposite wall, fearful. Concerned, Kaguya approached the window that had gotten his attention - and what she saw had her jumping back in a fright, hands going up to her mouth.
"Kaguya!" Mitsuki stepped up to her. "Are you okay?"
"That...!"
Mitsuki raised her bracelet to her mouth. "Lady Evia, Lady Oichi! Something's wrong with Kaguya!"
Footsteps pounded in the hallway before ten seconds had passed; Evia and Oichi burst into the room and immediately ran to Kaguya's side. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know!" Mitsuki insisted. "She looked out the window and-"
"The old man."
Kaguya's whispered words drew everyone's attention. "Huh?"
"Old man?" Oichi echoed, putting her arm around Kaguya. "You mean... your caretaker. From before you ended up in Aurora."
"Uh-huh," Kaguya confirmed. "He was so serious all the time. We only got to have a little bit of fun every day, and he got angry if we tried to do something fun any other time. But..." She looked out the window. "He was wearing that. When it was hot, and you couldn't wear heavy clothes, he had that. He was wearing a shirt with that letter on it."
"Letter...?"
Evia turned to the window, and found it had a perfect view down at the castle courtyard. Now they had found something out of place; there, in front of the gates of Aurora Castle, there was an entire rainbow of colours painted on the tiles of the courtyard.
Forming an R.
Draco: Be honest with me, people; did anyone see that coming before the start of this chapter?